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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Madison Pettis in "The Game Plan"

The Rock Have Future As Ballet Dancer?

Young Co-Star Of 'Game Plan' Has Her Doubts

POSTED: 2:39 pm CDT September 27, 2007

Sure, his transition from professional wrestling to acting was smooth: But when it comes to donning tights for a ballet career, does Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's have a chance?

His young co-star in the new film "The Game Plan" giggled at the possibility, but suggests no.

"I'm actually surprised at how good Dwayne did. But can he be a professional dancer? Hmm…," Madison Pettis wondered aloud with a laugh in a recent @ The Movies interview.

Pettis should know. She's been practicing ballet for five years, which is more than half of her life because she's only 9 years old.

In "The Game Plan," which opens Friday, Johnson plays Joe Kingman, a self-involved professional quarterback who is thrown for a loop when the young daughter, Peyton (Pettis), that he never knew, shows up on his doorstep. Among Kingman's new dad duties are taking his daughter to ballet class -- and becoming a reluctant participant thanks to a deal he made with Peyton's teacher (Roselyn Sanchez).

Johnson and Pettis appeared together, of course, in a ballet production in the movie. And while Johnson donned traditional tights in the scene, director Andy Fickman wasn't about to let his star's uncharacteristic turn go without an in-joke.

Fickman said there's a brief moment in a scene in Peyton's bedroom, where you can spot a reference to his star's turn on the dance floor.

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Joe Kingman (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) takes up ballet with Monique Vasquez (Roselyn Sanchez) in "The Game Plan"
"There was an action figure of Dwayne that they bought at a store and they made a tutu to put on it," Pettis laughed. "It was actually very funny."

Fickman said that it was "great deal of joy" for him to tease his imposing, masculine film star.

"We literally took that pink ballet tutu off of some Barbie doll for it -- but trying to shove that action figure of his into that outfit was as comical as trying to put him in the real ballet outfit," Fickman said, snickering. "I think it took three of the biggest prop guys around to try and muscle him into it."

Johnson didn't mind the prank. In fact, it's the sort of on-set hijinx that he encourages.

"(The action figure joke) was Andy Fickman at his best," Johnson said. "He would find many, many ways to harass me and make it fun, because that's what it's all about."



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