Young Rock's Bradley Constant & Adrian Groulx Discuss Portraying Dwayne Johnson, Season Three, More - Exclusive

While the millions (and millions) around the world have often dreamed of what it would be like to be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, two lucky actors actually get to embody the man himself: Bradley Constant and Adrian Groulx.

On the NBC comedy series "Young Rock," debuting its third season this Friday, Constant and Groulx play Johnson at different points in his life. Season 3 sees Constant portraying Johnson on the precipice of adulthood as he prepares to make his college football debut, and while he's learning to adapt to his family's colorful dynamic, he's starting to understand the pressures of having to provide for that family, as well. Groulx, on the other hand, will portray the headstrong, independent, and youngest version of Johnson, the kid who is learning to forge his own path in Hawaii and can't stay out of trouble.

In this exclusive interview with Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman, Constant and Groulx discuss what it's like to play Johnson, their relationships with the man himself, a possible Roman Reigns vs. The Rock WWE WrestleMania match, and more!

During the first season, you guys probably didn't get to see each other's performances as you were doing them, and you're playing the same person. What is it like for you, especially after watching that first season back, to see how the other person interpreted Dwayne Johnson? What was that like for the two of you?

Adrian: I'm going to go, because I have a shorter answer.

Bradley: Go for it.

Adrian: I feel like, because it was the start of pandemic, and then Season 2 mid-pandemic, we couldn't really just travel around freely to go see each other's work during production. But me seeing Bradley and [co-star Uli Latukefu] on screen, I'm like, "Oh, they really did this," and sometimes I forgot that it was acting. And what's really special about the show, that they casted Uli and Bradley and Stacey and Rocky, who play really well in the show, especially going up in the timelines. It's great to see my castmates and my family and friends just on screen, knowing that they put a lot of work into it.

Bradley: Yeah, honestly it's effortless. As we got to know each other, like you said, outside of shooting, but I would go there some days and watch Adrian film, but not to research or study, and it was the same for Uli. It's just to support, because we like to hang out and have fun. But I didn't put any kind of thought into it until the season started airing, Season 1, and I was not really too excited to see my part because I get nervous to watch myself. So I'm really wanting to watch Adrian and Uli and I'm like, "Wow. It's crazy how effortless it is." But when I watch them, I watch Adrian's scene, then I come on, then Uli come on, I feel like we're the same person. It's weird, it's creepy. We never really did anything specific to try and blend that, but it just happened.

Well you are all the same person. You're all Dwayne Johnson. That's very odd to say out loud. What's your guys' relationship like with the man himself? What's it like to get advice from The Rock about how to be The Rock, Dwayne Johnson?

Bradley: He's always just been super kind to all of us. He's been very welcoming and taking all that pressure off. And I know that Uli feels probably way more pressure than Adrian and I feel, because nobody knows what Dwayne was doing when he was a teenager or younger, but everybody knows what The Rock was doing when he was The Rock. But he's never placed that kind of pressure on us, and he has always been super cool, super kind. He compliments us all the time. He's been great.

Adrian, what about you?

Adrian: So Season 1, I didn't really get to have a Zoom chat with him or call, but at the end, or almost close to the end of the season of shooting, he sent me a really heartfelt video, which, I broke down in tears immediately. But Season 2, I was never really reaching out to Dwayne. I'd sometimes comment on his post or whatever, and he'll comment on mine, but I never really had the guts to reach out to him one on one, so this season, Bradley finally pushed me to message him twice.

Bradley, you are a good friend.

Adrian: Yeah, and then recently after ... I saw it said "seen," however long ago, I'm here breathing, "Oh my God," because I was never confident enough to actually send him a DM. But this season finally meeting him after the years ... I've always heard he was so nice, but actually being there and meeting him in person, and him just talking to me, he was so nice as everybody said, and it was everything I could ask for.

It feels very brotherly right now like this. It's weird to ask, I guess, but does this feel like the onscreen family's become a little bit of y'all's real life family as well? Do you guys have that dynamic with the cast?

Bradley: It is. It really is. And it's crazy sitting here at Season 3 now, and on one hand it feels like it's all gone by really fast. But then also, I feel like I can't remember what life was like without Adrian in my life all the time, as my friend, my brother.

Adrian: Yeah.

Bradley: So we're all really close and we all love each other so much, and we love this show so much, and it starts from the top, everybody ... and it's not just the cast ... it's our producers, everyone, it's Dwayne. We have a love and a passion for this team, and we're all really happy to be around each other.

Adrian: I'm going to cry. 

I'll lighten the mood here, Adrian. You guys both play Dwayne Johnson, The Rock. Do you get the itch where you're like, "Ah, maybe I want to go be a pro wrestler now? I'm him. I think I could do this." Do either of you have that bug to become a pro wrestler?

Bradley: I do, I do. I don't know as a full profession, but I really want to get in the ring. I really want to, so bad now, especially after watching these guys just go at it. And a lot of the guys on our show were actors and they pull up. They didn't have any wrestling experience, but they get in there, and they're really going for it. And Chavo is so awesome and so fun to watch when he is doing these rehearsals with the guys, that I want to get in there so bad.

Adrian, I don't know, are you as enthusiastic as Bradley? Do you want to go fall down for a living?

Adrian: I definitely have thought about it. It would be so fun to be a wrestler and stuff, but yeah, like Bradley said, he really wants to get in the ring, and I've been in the ring a couple times. I'll goof around in there with Chavo.

What's that like Adrian? What's Chavo teaching you to do? You doing a side suplex, you throwing punches? What are you doing in there?

Adrian: It's just the basic stuff, like how to keep yourself safe. And there's a picture of me jumping over the ropes, like top entering the ring, and Chavo was the one who actually helped me do that. And he's so great. He's so nice, and he'll really just take you through it. But I'm not really focused on me being in the ring as much, because I've already been, but we need to get Bradley in the ring because [he's] one of the only ones who hasn't gotten in the ring yet, so we need to find a way to get Bradley in there.

I don't hear the same passion in the youngest Rock that I do in a little older Rock, but that's fine.

I'd love to see you guys in ... I don't know. I don't if you want to be in Roman's corner or The Rock's corner if WrestleMania comes around...

Bradley: Oh, Rock's all day. You kidding me? No.

Adrian: Yeah.

Bradley: Yeah, we should roll out there. Just a big crew, The Rock and his younger selves, just out, mocking everybody.

That's not a bad entrance idea, honestly.

Bradley: It should just be us versus everyone. That's fine. I'm cool with that.

All right guys, I want to thank you so, so much for the time. I think that I'm at limit here and dude, I didn't mean to make you cry, Adrian. It's just felt so brotherly. That's a good friend who's like, "Dude, shoot your shot man. You got that connect right now. You should go be DMing Dwayne The Rock Johnson."

Adrian: Bradley's the brother I never had, and —

Bradley: Oh man.

Adrian: — seeing him in these past seasons, he's just only gotten better as a friend and family. So I feel like, yeah, he's just my brother at this point.

Bradley: I'll always be here for you bro. I got you.

Oh my god, I'm crying now.