After Bagging $5.5M for His First Solo Movie, Dwayne Johnson Left Vin Diesel and Will Smith Behind With a Historic Achievement in 2002

While he is popping up among the highest-paid actors ever since 2018, it’s important to look back at Dwayne Johnson’s humble beginnings. Though it took some time for him to establish himself as a bonafide star in Hollywood, his name still carried a lot of weight. Starting his acting career with a role in “The Mummy” movie was a big statement.

Coupled with his fame from WWE and his first role, the higher-ups featured him in a solo film. In just his second appearance, Johnson became a leading man and also the highest-paid one at that.

Dwayne Johnson broke the record for the highest-paid first-time leading man

Breaking the Guinness World record for the highest-paid first-time leading man, Johnson was already at the top from his second movie, The Scorpion King, earning a staggering $5.5 million for his role.

But this doesn’t mean that Johnson didn’t work hard to get it. Not only did Johnson show prowess in his action scenes from the very beginning of his career, but he also nailed some scenes that needed a person of his stature.

But this is just a glimpse into what Johnson eventually achieved in the future. The expectation after his first foray into Hollywood also put on immense pressure on Johnson. While it took some time to get his footing after The Scorpion King, he planted his foot firmly on the Hollywood stage and went on to conquer it.

READ MORE: “Not Sure If Hulk Hogan Did That”: Dwayne Johnson Once Gave His Honest Take on The Hulkster’s Failed Hollywood Attempt

While this salary made it to the Guinness World Records book, it is just a small number compared to his recent movies. But you might be wondering how well his contemporaries, Vin Diesel and Will Smith, did when they featured in their first movie as a leading man. So let’s look at their first salaries as leading men.

How do Vin Diesel and Will Smith compare to The Rock’s first leading-man salary?

Compared to The Rock, Will Smith’s first role as a leading man was also iconic. He played the titular Marcus Burnett in Michael Bay’s Bad Boys. But despite being more famous than the Scorpion King, Smith was paid less than half of Johnson’s salary, $2 million.

But the last one in this trio of contemporaries is Vin Diesel. The current leading man of the Fast series didn’t feature in a big-budget movie like the other two. Instead, Diesel wrote, directed, and starred in the main role when talking about his first time as the leading man.

His movie, Strays, was released in 1997, and there are no records of his salary. But given the budget of the movie, it couldn’t have been higher than either of the salaries above.

WATCH THIS STORY: 50 Years of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson’s Greatest Achievements in WWE

Tell us what you think about Johnson’s first fat paycheck for a leading role in the comments below.