Ross King: A wrestling gran and a run for President… yes, I’ve been Hobbs-nobbing with The Rock

A certain Mr Johnson is the most powerful man in the country these days.

No, not Boris, it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

He’s starring in blockbuster action movie Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise.

I visited Hawaii last week to chat to the beefcake wrestler-turned-action-movie-star for a wee chinwag about his movie.

The Rock rocked politics, though…by revealing some shock information about Boris.

“He’s family of course – he’s my cousin! It’s like looking in the mirror!” laughed Dwayne.

I’m not sure Boris shares any genes with Dwayne – although there are still rumblings about whether he will run for office one day.

“I think about politics all the time, but just in the way how flattering it is people want me to run for President,” he said, giving an answer worthy of a president.

“I think about it in a service and supportive kind of way.

“I feel like at this point in my life and career the best thing, not just for my country but also for me, is to continue to take the platform I’m lucky enough to have and put that behind other individuals who can do a really good job of running the country.

“Quite who that is, I don’t know yet.”

Hobbs & Shaw sounds like a movie about two lawyers, but it’s actually a fun action romp with great comedy – which I loved.

It also has some of the best stunts I’ve seen. In it, Dwayne travels to Hawaii where he meets with a tribe led by a strong matriarch. It must have reminded him of his own granny, a legendary figure in wrestling.

“My grandfather was a wrestler but his wife – my grandmother – was the first female promotor in wrestling, who became the vice president of the National Wrestling Alliance,” he said.

“You have to understand, it was a very difficult business, especially for a woman. For a woman to come in and be a promoter, that was hard.

“At that time the business had mafia-like tendencies. My grandmother became legendary in terms of her toughness.

“She did not take any s*** from anyone!”

There’s a great cast in Hobbs & Shaw – Idris Elba and Jason Statham. Royalty, too, with Dame Helen Mirren as Queenie and Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in The Crown.

“You’ve got to make it good so it was a joy for me as an actor and a producer, to be able to bring in the best in class.

“With Idris we wanted to make the best villain the franchise has ever seen.

“A lot of times you don’t have chemistry. But with me and Jason Statham, you have chemistry.

“It blossomed in Fast & Furious 8 and just exploded.

“It’s almost like lightning in a bottle. The chemistry started to expand and permeate to the cast.

“Then Idris came in and we had this unique three-way dynamic.”

I’m sure Boris is waiting for a call for the next movie, Dwayne!