It seems the hierarchy of power never truly changes. A new report reveals that Dwayne Johnson’s behavior on the set of Red One led to the budget ballooning by over $50 million.
Red One seems to be one of those projects perpetually stuck in production. First announced back in 2022, the Christmas epic starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, and J.K. Simmons follows an elite task force on the hunt to save a kidnapped Santa. However, it seems Johnson may have been the one spearheading some of the film’s production troubles.
According to a new report by The Wrap, Dwayne Johnson was chronically late to set, often by seven or eight hours. There were also reportedly days when Johnson failed to appear on set entirely. This reportedly caused at least $50 million in delays which, in combination with Johnson’s $50 million dollar payday, takes up 40% of Red One‘s $250 million budget.
A source close to Amazon MGM commented on these reports, saying that claims of Dwayne Johnson’s behavior causing an inflated budget are exaggerated. According to the source, whose identity was not disclosed, the budget fluctuations were exactly in line with expectations.
“It is completely normal for there to be budget fluctuations within 15% of the target,” The source told The Wrap. “Which is exactly what we experienced.”
However, other sources seem to contend Dwayne Johnson has a history of showing up late to sets aside from Red One. Reports indicate that Ryan Reynolds was furious at Johnson during the production of Netflix’s Red Notice due to the actor being five hours late to set. This caused a huge fight, leading to Johnson storming off set and the two not speaking for quite some time.
Dwayne Johnson’s History Of Unprofessional Behavior
Red One and Red Notice aren’t the only projects that have had issues with Dwayne Johnson. According to the same report, Johnson would allegedly often urinate in Voss water bottles to save time instead of taking bathroom breaks. This is something Johnson appears to be proud of, previously bragging about it in an interview with Esquire.
“I usually stay pretty hydrated. I need to go to the bathroom a lot,” the actor explained. “Not a lot, but probably a couple of times during every workout I have to go to the bathroom. So I break out the bottle.”
Dwayne Johnson is also said to have a large ego on set. Even aside from his tardiness on Red One, reports have indicated that the actor has a “no lose” clause in his contracts stating that his characters can never be beaten on-screen. This has slowly changed the perception of The Rock as an unshakeable force in the entertainment industry to the butt of almost every joke.
