Roman Reigns talks about how his role in "Hobbs & Shaw" came about.
During an interview with Comics Beat, Reigns revealed that not only did he actually sent in an audition tape for the movie, but that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Reigns' cousin and co-star of the movie alongside Jason Statham, wasn't even aware of it. As Reigns described it, he wanted to make sure producers know what he can do in a movie role and what his acting skills are, which is why he sent the tape.
"Yeah, it?s kind of a funny story. I kind of just snuck my audition tape in there. I did pretty well, and it worked its way up the channels and then finally DJ hit me up and said, 'What the heck? I didn?t know you wanted to be a part of this,' and I was like, 'Yeah, totally,' but I think at that point, they had already gotten a good idea of what I was able to do and know who I was and see me on tape and get a feel for what was auditioning for the role rather than me just getting there, and they?re like, 'Who the heck signed this guy up? We have no clue what he can do, and he?s not performing to the standard they had hoped,' so I just wanted to make sure they knew exactly what they were getting," Reigns said.
Reigns would just be the latest WWE wrestler to be a part of a blockbuster franchise past wrestlers such as Johnson in "The Fast & Furious" and Batista in several of Marvel's films including both "Guardians of the Galaxy." However, unlike those two, Reigns isn't expecting to take a lot of time off in the near future for any future movie roles.
While Reigns enjoyed exploring his acting capabilities, he does go on to state that his WWE schedule does take precedence. Reigns previously said that he thinks he can wrestle full-time for WWE for the next five years.
"Right now, my WWE schedule, it takes precedence. I want to make sure that I?m in that ring, and I?m performing for the WWE universe. If I can, I don?t see why not learn something new? Why not take on a new craft and a new form of entertainment? It was definitely a great experience, nothing but positives. I clearly enjoyed my time out here on the islands, but just to be able to be involved with such a cool project that?s gonna affect so many people and put so many smiles on their faces and just create a good time. It was very influencing, and I enjoyed myself, and hopefully, if the opportunity arises, I?ll be better for it. The fact that I took this job, hopefully it will help me progress in the future," Reigns said.
The full interview can be seen at this link.