Dwayne Johnson Is People's First Non-White Sexiest Man Alive in 20 Years

Denzel Washington was given the honor in 1996

By Kendall Fisher Nov 15, 2016 9:29 PMTags

It's always an honor for anyone to be named People's Sexiest Man Alive, but for Dwayne Johnson, it means a little more...

The half-Samoan, half-black actor is the first non-white male to receive the title since Denzel Washington in 1996—20 years ago!

Needless to say, Johnson is stoked about the opportunity and admitted he feels like he's reached a "pinnacle" point in his career. However, that's not to say he didn't struggle for many years in order to get here.

"When I was growing up here in Hawaii, I was like 13, 14 years old, I was doing a lot of things that I shouldn't have," he revealed to the publication. "I was getting arrested multiple times but at the same time, always very respectful to my teachers and elders. I was unsure of who I was and who I wanted to be."

Johnson's family struggled financially when he was growing up, so he was determined to play football and help them afford a better life.

"I played football for 10 years with one goal, which was to play in the NFL, which meant we'd never be evicted again. It meant that I could buy my parents their first home, their cars, whatever they wanted."

However, he never ended up making it. "That failure was tough; that was a tough pill," he admitted.

After that, the actor reevaluated his life with just a few dollars and some dreams.

"I literally looked in my wallet and I had a five, a one and change. So I rounded it up to seven. It was a real rock bottom for me and I didn't know how defining or how meaningful seven bucks would be only until years later in my life," he explained.

Shortly thereafter, he found himself transitioning into Hollywood and trying to make it in the WWE. "I was met with skepticism and some cynicism of where I came from and the world of wrestling. Because you've got to prove yourself," he said. "But there wasn't a blueprint for me to follow. It wasn't like, 'Oh, there's this half-Samoan, half-black wrestler and you just do it like him.'"

Today he's the highest paid actor, and he's glad no one paved his path for him. "What's even better is that no one did it before me," he added. "I've got to make up my own rules myself."

But he's not the only one who appreciates the hard work, heart and effort he put into building his empire...even Zac Efron is pumped for his Baywatch co-star.

"Your personality is the most attractive," Efron tweeted. "Underneath the rippling muscles is a caring heart. Congrats 2 the sexiest man alive- love you dawg."

Johnson responded, "Luv u back brotha and appreciate your kind words. For the record, your [bicep emoji] are 'rippling.' Mine are more in that jacked egg yolked space." 

LOL! We love the bromance.

Check out Johnson's full interview with People here.