Behind the scenes of NBC’s Young Rock: A casual viewer’s guide to wrestling
Since premiering in February 2021, NBC’s Young Rock has done an exceptional job of giving viewers an in-depth look at the life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson through his childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
Season 2, which kicked off only two weeks ago, has had more of a streamlined story being told throughout the episodes with Dwayne’s mother Ata Johnson, portrayed by New Zealand actress Stacey Leilua, having more of a prominent role on the show.
Episode 3, entitled “In Your Blood,” explores Ata taking over her mother-in-law Lia’s wrestling promotion when Lia potentially faces time behind bars. At this point in the show’s timeline, the Johnson-ran company houses the illustrious likes of Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Iron Sheik and many more colorful characters.
This forces Ata to develop a newfound knowledge and passion for pro wrestling, something Leilua essentially mirrored in reality while filming the episode.
Viewers don’t need to know everything about wrestling to enjoy Young Rock
“The great thing about the show is that it’s given me the interest to go and do my own research [about wrestling],” Leilua said. “In all honesty, before I got the role, I was just sort aware of it and I went to one wrestling match when I was younger and I grew up with my uncles watching it, so you’re familiar with the big names. As part of the show, I’ve been doing a lot more researching about the world of wrestling and the characters… I’ve just gained a whole new respect for it and the world as a whole.”
That’s part of the appeal of Young Rock: although die-hard wrestling fans will undoubtedly be entertained by it, viewers don’t need to know everything about what goes in the squared circle to fully understand, appreciate and enjoy the show.
She also praised ex-WWE writer Brian Gewirtz for his involvement behind the scenes and for basically being a real-life wrestling encyclopedia. The heightened humor so far in Season 2 has also been a highlight, along with the increasing amount of actual in-ring action.
“What’s been interesting watch these first few episodes, I think it’s funnier, I’m cracking up laughing,” Leilua said. “It’s hilarious anyway, but this season, I don’t remember some of these moments in the read-throughs. That’s just a testament to the writers and the actors bringing those scenes to life.
“The best thing I’ve seen on social media is that the hardcore fans are blown away by the casting and seeing actual matches,” she continued. “It’s really cool to get that praise from fans and for them to say, ‘Wow, that’s spot on.’”
As noted, Leilua is a New Zealand native, though viewers would never know that from watching her play Ata on Young Rock. She’s nailed her portrayal of Rock’s beloved mom and her Samoan accent sounds as authentic as it gets, as heard on the show’s latest episode during her conversations with Lia.
“For me, that was the biggest challenge,” she said. “It’s a really interesting thing. Before the audition, I had a dialect couch and throughout filming, I had a dialect coach on set for both seasons and they’ve all been incredible. Sometimes I can’t hear it. What they would have to do is liken it to New Zealand sounds.”
It was more trial and error for than anything else, and over time, it only became more ingrained in her brain. Although she admits it was difficult getting back into it during the hiatus between seasons, she was infinitely more comfortable once the shooting schedule commenced.
Not having the immensely-busy Rock on set was never an issue for the rest of the cast, and in fact, it levitated some of the pressure for someone such as Leilua.
“I’ve only ever met him over Zoom and he’s on the table reads with us,” she said. “I feel like that’s a good thing because if he was there, not that it would be extra pressure but you have to get that stuff out of your head. It’s very easy to fall in that trap because of who and what this show means on a wider scale. If I ever stopped to think about that, I’d say, ‘Woah, that’s massive,’ but it’s part of your process as an actor.”
With the show emphasizing strong Samoan values, Ata reminded Leilua of the bond she shares with her own children and feels the fact that a lot of viewers can relate to that makes Young Rock that much more powerful of a program.
“The great thing about this role is that once it came out, there were so many messages from mothers saying it was so great to see that on screen because they could relate and they watched it with their sons and it was their bonding time,” Leilua said. “It’s one thing to be a part of a show that’s awesome and fun and exciting, but the impact of the show is so much deeper than that and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Watch new episodes Tuesday nights on NBC, you can also stream them on Hulu.