Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is detailing what went into his baller surprise for Adele at the 2023 Grammys.
For those who missed the viral interaction during the Feb. 5 award show, the moment occurred when host Trevor Noah revealed during his monologue that the "Hello" singer" is a massive fan of the Black Adam star—but she'd never met him. Until that moment, of course. To Adele's shock, Dwayne—who is also a big fan of hers—then popped out from the audience as the two embraced and met for the first time.
"We wanted to do something special for Adele," he told Variety in an interview published Feb. 7. "I know that she is a very big fan of mine and has made that clear publicly many times. But I've got to tell you, I am a huge fan of hers, as well—her music, her journey, her openness and directness in how she speaks. I've always admired that about her."
So how did he cook up that appearance? As it turns out, when Dwayne officially confirmed his attendance at the Grammys, it was the show's executive producer Ben Winston who thought to surprise Adele. After all, Ben recalled how Adele had previously invited the actor to her One Night Only concert special in Los Angeles except he wasn't able to attend, according to Variety.
"We were trying to figure out something to do that was going to be fun and surprise her, and we had kicked around ideas all week," Dwayne continued. "The key to a surprise like that is to actually keep it a surprise. Myself and the Grammys went to great lengths to make sure that Adele was authentically surprised in the moment, and she was."
Calling the meeting a "great surprise," Dwayne added that he also met her boyfriend, Rich Paul. And to make the night extra sweet, the Hobbs & Shaw actor got the opportunity to present Adele with the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Easy on Me."
"And talk about the universe meeting our friendship halfway: I get up onstage and I open that Grammy envelope and it said ‘Adele.' So that's why I was able to say, ‘Get up here best friend, Adele!' It was such a special night," he explained. "And she's such a special iconic brilliant inspiring artist who has inspired a generation and who will continue to inspire generations to come. I love that woman."