Dwayne Johnson, the wrestler-turned-actor is always a part of fan conversations around the globe. The talks are majorly about his in-ring return or another Hollywood blockbuster. But in 2013, the story was something else. Johnson was facing a lot of criticism for one of his movies. That year, Dwayne Johnson played a lead character in the movie ‘Pain & Gain’. The movie was surrounded by controversies and it was also reported that Johnson has agreed to take a pay cut for it. But this is not the only thing he did to star in the movie.

The former WWE world champion also gained weight to be a part of Michael Bay’s film.

Dwayne Johnson gained several pounds for his most controversial project

Pain & Gain (2013) was undoubtedly Dwayne Johnson’s most controversial movie. The plot of the movie revolved around a man who was kidnapped and tortured by steroid-fueled gym rats.

The movie was directed by Michael Bay and it was his lowest-budget movie since his debut film. The overall budget of the movie was just $26 million.

For this, Dwayne Johnson and other leading actors even accepted a pay cut to maintain the budget.

Not only this but the former WWE world champion also increased his weight up to 300 pounds to look more bulky.

The movie was a huge hit at the box office and crossed over $86.2 million. But when it comes to the fans, then Pain & Gain got mixed reviews.

Several fans were not happy with the way the movie portrayed the horrifying kidnapping of Marc Schiller. And even the real-life victim himself was not thrilled with it.

Why did the real-life victim sue over the movie?

The movie was based on a real-life incident of Marc Schiller, a Brooklyn-bred businessman, who was kidnapped and tortured. He stated that the movie treated him more as a culprit than the actual victim which damaged his image.

“They chose to portray me as a bad person and my assailants as nice guys who were just bumbling fools….The movie made a mockery of me and of the pain and suffering that I had endured. … The horrible person on the screen had no resemblance to who I was — or who I am now.”, said Schiller.

After Kicking Out Dwayne Johnson From DC, Director James Gunn Wishes to Replace Him With Actor Worth 10X Lesser Than Black Adam Star

Not only Johnson, but the WWE legend Kurt Angle was also a part of it, which fetched more audience.