Dwayne Johnson gave a wide-ranging interview to Esquire magazine ahead of the release of Disney’s live-action “Moana,” in which he reprises the role of demigod Maui. The cover story begins with Johnson’s revelation that he had a cancer scare earlier this year that coincided with his “Jumanji” press duties at CinemaCon. The actor discovered a lump on one of his testicles and went to the doctor in the morning before his trip to Las Vegas.
Per Esquire: “The doc felt the lump and said it was probably epididymitis, inflammation of a tube at the back of the testicle that stores sperm, but it could be cancer. ‘What’s your schedule today?’ the doctor had asked. Johnson told him about the all-day ‘Jumanji’ event. His doctor said Johnson needed to get an ultrasound first thing the next morning.”
“So I had to live with that for those 24 hours, not knowing — and I had to be on all day, joking around, making speeches. But! I’m okay,” Johnson said, noting he did really just have epididymitis and not cancer.
“Jumanji” and “Moana” bring Johnson back to the blockbuster fold after last year’s A24 drama “The Smashing Machine” stretched his dramatic acting chops and earned him career-best reviews. Oscar buzz was instant the second “Smashing Machine” premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Johnson notably broke down in tears during a standing ovation for the movie. Alas, Johnson was not nominated for best actor earlier this year.
