Sarah Michelle Gellar

While doing press for Gridiron Gang, SlashFilm.com was able to confront Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson about Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales.

"Southland Tales is going to find an audience. I believe in that movie, I believe in Richard Kelly, he’s a smart guy."

Kelly made major waves with his first feature film Donnie Darko, which reached cult status on DVD. Southland Tales is his second film, an ensemble piece about the end of the world set in the near futuristic landscape of Los Angeles.

"Look, it’s a great movie," The Rock assured /Film. "And you’re either gonna love it or you’re gonna hate it. There’s no ’Well I kinda liked it.’"

When Southland Tales made it’s premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, it was met with harsh criticism from the international press.

"There was a reason why we were selected - we were in competition. There was a committee that saw something in this movie," explained Johnson. "We go over there, show it for an audience that, frankly we didn’t make it for. And a lot of those guys over there, they watch a ton of movies. And there’s an artistic side to a lot of the films over there that. Something about it wouldn’t allow them to like it, that the thought of what movie making is, it’s art and it’s all subjective and conjecture."

The Rock then pointed to the wall, at a painting of a meshed-up landscape: "I mean, you look at that and you might love it or think it looks like dog peeing on something. And that’s what art is, and I dig that but at the same time - it’s a different audience up there."

"But we get over there and it’s like 11 O’clock at night and they’ve seen a thousand movies already and this was a film that came to Cannes shrouded in mystery," Johnson explained. "And, what you’ll see is wether you like it or not, you can’t watch it and be lazy... A lot of times I love to watch movies and kick back, fall asleep, wake-up, fall asleep again. I mean, you gotta sit right there and watch it, it’s one of those movies. You can’t be lazy when you watch it, you’re gonna be challenged. There’s a lot of metaphors in the movie, there’s a lot going on."

But The Rock insists that he doesn’t mind criticism: "It’s what it is - I like something, you don’t, vanilla, chocolate, it doesn’t matter. But a lot of the criticism I thought was unfair because it was personally directed at Richard and I didn’t understand that. Knock the film, that’s fine, but when you knock Richard by saying ’You have no right to make a movie like this. You’re too young a director, and you have the audacity to make a two hour and fifty minute movie that says something, and you expect me to sit through it’ then of course."

Johnson points towards the post Cannes three day press event as an example: "We showed the movie and still have to stay an extra three days after to do press. For me, they were like ’WOW, good job with your character, tell us a little about your character’. They didn’t really lay into me. But with Richard, he got the worst of it."

But the actor finally feels vindication, after screened footage received an incredible fan reaction at Comic-Con 2006.

"I promise you, Richard Kelly could not have e-mailed me quicker on my blackberry from comic con ’We’re here, and they’re going crazy, the graphic novel’s selling like mad, Entertainment Weekly has gone crazy, the fans have gone crazy.’""That’s the great thing about comic-con - they’re passionate, they’re loyal."

And at the end of the day, that’s why Johnson makes movies: "I mean, we knew they would love it, and I appreciate that, it’s that type of response that we work for, you show it to an audience who truly appreciates a good movie. I love that."

Sony will release Southland Tales in theaters most likely early 2007. You can see The Rock in Gridiron Gang in theaters on September 15th 2006.