Dwayne Johnson has decided to tackle some eyebrow-raising rumors head-on. In a new GQ profile published on November 11, just ahead of his festive action-comedy Red One, the 52-year-old star addressed allegations of “chronic lateness” and “lack of professionalism” on set, rumored to have inflated the movie’s budget.
The profile also humorously touched on a peculiar claim that Johnson urinates in a bottle while working. “Yeah. That happens,” he said about the latter claim.
The Wrap previously noted in its reporting that Johnson told Esquire back in 2017 that he will “break out the bottle” when he needs to use the bathroom during a workout and cited an anonymous source who said Johnson has used water bottles for similar purposes on movie sets in the past, though not necessarily on Red One.
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In Red One, Johnson stars alongside Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, and Kiernan Shipka. Johnson plays the North Pole’s head of security, who teams up with Evans’ bounty hunter character to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus. Directed by Jake Kasdan, who previously worked with Johnson on Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, Kasdan assured GQ that Johnson “never missed a day of work ever” on Red One.
“He has a lot going on. He can be late sometimes, but such is Hollywood—that’s the case with everybody,” Kasdan said. “Honestly, I’ve made three big movies with him. I’ve never seen him be anything but great to every single person on the set.”
Evans, 43, disputed the article’s portrayal of Johnson’s behavior but noted that he frequently works out in the mornings before arriving on set.
“But this is something that the producers, the director, and it’s all his team, so they all know this. So it’s all basic,” Evans said. “It’s not like he’s late unexpectedly, and I wouldn’t even call it late. He comes in slightly later on certain mornings, but it’s part of the plan. It’s worked into the schedules and everyone knows it, so he shows up when he’s scheduled to show up.”
Red One releases in theaters on November 15.
