These days, Dwayne Johnson movies are among the biggest blockbusters, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when the pro wrestler was first doing action movies, he made some leftfield choices, shall we say. One of those was family movie Tooth Family, a production he was reminded about on Good Morning America.
During the interview, co-host TJ Holmes asks Johnson about how Tooth Fairy has become beloved among a certain younger audience. “It’s kind of a classic, it’s a classic something, yes,” Johnson responds. “But you’re absolutely right, I do get a lot of that with little kids, their parents will introduce them, ‘Well this is also the Tooth Fairy’, and it’s almost like their mind explodes.”
If you’re only familiar with Johnson’s current era of superhero movies and Fast and Furious installments, cast your mind back to 2010. In these simpler times, Johnson was nearing the end of his first tenure in filmmaking, and starred in kids movie Tooth Fairy, directed by Michael Lembeck, and co-produced by renowned horror movie shepherd Jason Blum.
The film is exactly what it sounds like, in that it features Johnson sprout wings and deliver rewards in return for children’s teeth. However, there’s a twist in the fantasy movie as Johnson’s character, Derek, starts as a bully before learning to be kinder.
So it’s a tale of morality, perfect for little ones. Not long after it came out, Johnson was back in the WWE to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania 28. They’d do it again the following year, and by that time Johnson has become Fast and Furious character Luke Hobbs and was back on track on the big screen.
Still, Tooth Fairy is no doubt a staple for many kids today, and lots of those who were young in 2010 likely have a huge amount of nostalgia for it. Either way, now that Johnson’s riding high on DC movie Black Adam, he should consider Tooth Fairy 3 (Tooth Fairy 2 went straight-to-DVD, less said about that the better).
Black Adam is in cinemas October 21.