We all love to marvel at the athletes and the actors on our screens, so it’s all the better when a celebrity manages to be the full package. With the huge crowds at sporting events and the showmanship of athletes, maybe sports aren’t as different from acting as you might think at first! Take a look at these talented actors who made the career switch.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
In the wrestling world, Dwayne Johnson or The Rock — as what we called him, was dubbed “The Great One” and “The People’s Champion”. Before stepping into the limelight, Dwayne originally wanted to become a CIA agent, plus he was on track to become a pro football player. But things didn’t go as planned so he decided to continue his family’s legacy in the WWE.
The Guinness World Record holder then made his acting debut in an episode of “That ’70s Show”, in which he played his real-life father, Rocky Johnson. Apart from being one of Hollywood’s top-earning actors, Dwayne also co-founded a production company with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, called Seven Bucks Productions.
Dave Bautista
Long before playing remarkable roles on the silver screen, Dave Bautista has already conquered the WWE ring under the name Batista. The 2005 Royal Rumble champion began acting in 2006 as a guest-star in TV series “Smallville”. He left WWE in 2010 but for some reason joined it again in 2014 and retired from the ring for good in 2019 in order to prove his worth in the Hollywood industry.
Dave once said in an interview that he will literally play any part as long as the character is interesting or he gets to work with interesting people. Other than being an actor and a pro wrestler, Dave also excels as a bodybuilder and MMA fighter.
Jason Statham
Before Jason Statham made his debut on the silver screen, he was an elite level diver and a member of the British National Diving Squad for over a decade. His amazing diving skills also qualified him to compete for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the 10 meter, 3 meter and 1 meter competitions. Although he loved the sport, Jason realised that it was hard for him to make money and decided to venture into the acting industry instead.
John Cena
John Cena is undoubtedly one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever known. He made his acting debut with “The Marine” and has been seen on the silver screen ever since. Though he sailed through his acting career, John told his WWE family that he will continue to make his wrestling career a priority. In addition to being a 16-time WWE world champion and Hollywood A-lister, John is also a New York Times #1 Best Selling Author and a rapper with a chart-topping rap album “You Can’t See Me”.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger is well-known as a seven-time Mr. Olympia, four-time Mr. Universe, successful real estate investor, best-paid actor of the 90s and the Governor of California. Before he pursued an acting career, Arnold was already a self-made millionaire in his 20’s. He made his debut after quitting bodybuilding with “Hercules in New York”.
The early stages of his career was tough as he was told that his body was ‘too weird’, he had a funny accent and that his name was too long. He became an action superstar through his breakthrough film “Conan the Barbarian” which became a box-office hit, and he led the “The Terminator” franchise.
