The Rock tells ET he'd much rather be running the carpool than running for president.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been busy shaking hands and holding babies -- but not in the name of politics.
The 50-year-old actor recently shut down any possibility of a presidential run, saying it was "off the table" so that he could focus on being a present father to his youngest daughters. Meanwhile, the Black Adam star went viral earlier this month for doting over a tiny baby girl who had essentially crowd surfed her way to the stage during a press event for his new film.
In a new interview with ET's Nischelle Turner, he's addressing both situations with his signature good humor.
"It was crazy," he says of the viral moment with baby Luciana, which he shared on his personal Instagram page. Johnson reveals that it was his idea to kick off the Black Adam press tour in Mexico, saying that "the love and mana is strong, and I think that Mexico could set the tone for the rest of the tour."
Johnson continues, "Interestingly enough, for the first time in my career, more men have been crying than women. .. So, I'm out on the stage and I look, and this guy catches my eye and he's already weeping, not bawling, but weeping. And he's holding this little doll and he's gesturing for me to, 'Please, please take this' and he's weeping. And I went, 'God, of course. Sure. Yeah. Absolutely!' And then he goes and starts to crowd surf the infant -- 'cause it's a baby -- and I thought it was a doll and as it's coming, I'm like, 'That's a baby. That's a real baby!'"
Johnson didn't miss a beat.
"I said something to my guys who run logistics and security and I said to him, 'Get the baby.' And he went, 'What?' 'Get the baby!'" he explains. "And so, he hands me the baby. What a beautiful moment though, and I gotta tell you. I look and then I look out at him, and you can see me saying, 'Oh my God, brother.' It was such a beautiful moment. It was really beautiful. So, whatever that moment meant to him -- whatever it was 'cause I didn’t get a chance to speak to him -- but it meant something to me, too."
At home, Johnson takes pride in being fully immersed in dad duty to his own little girls. He shares 6-year-old Jasmine and 4-year-old Tiana with wife Lauren Hashian, telling ET that he's more interested in running carpool than running for president. While he long toyed with the suggestion that he should consider embarking on a political career, Johnson told CBS Sunday Morning that his job as an engaged father was far more important to him.
Johnson also shares 21-year-old daughter Simone with his ex, Dany Garcia.
"I have wrestled with decision," he tells ET. "I have been asked from very influential people on both sides of the aisle for me to run, 'cause I think, according to them, maybe I have a little bit of a ability to possibly bring people together. But the most important role for me is fatherhood and daddy to these little girls."
He goes on: "I've worked so hard over the years to get to this point, right now, where they're 6 [and] 4 -- we're enjoying life. I got every drop off, every pickup, bedtime routine, and the life that I want for them and the stability that I want for them that I frankly never had when I was a little boy. And I had a complicated relationship with my dad. So, I'm a patriot, I love our country and everybody in it. Right now, it's those little girls."
ET's Turner couldn't help but follow up on the idea of the superstar waiting in the carpool lane.
"I'm easy," he jokes. "As long as I get eyes on my girl, and I know where they're at, then c'mon. I'm on my phone, I'm getting business done."
Johnson's highly anticipated turn as DC Comics' Black Adam will hit theaters on Oct. 21. It's the first-ever feature film to explore the story of this superhero, following Adam nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods -- and imprisoned just as quickly -- as he's freed from his earthly tomb and ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
While reports are speculating that the tentpole project could be Johnson's biggest box office success to date, the star admits that he gets "a little jinx-y."
"I can't see it," he says of the conjectures. "I will say, I feel great with the movie we made. And I think a lot of people around the world are really going to like the movie."
Johnson notes that he hopes to usher in "a new era in the DC universe" with the success of Black Adam.
"The new era to me means, listen to the fans. Really listen to the fans," he explains, teasing a series of easter eggs already included in his film. "What you [see] at the end of the movie that everyone is already losing their minds over, that's a reflection of listening to the fans and that's also a reflection of building to something big."
Johnson says there are "so many places to go with Black Adam," including new characters from DC that haven't yet been introduced.
"It's really up to the fans, so when you talk about box office and what this could potentially be -- we'll see," he says. "The box office will drive everything, but that is the overarching goal. I like to try and think five, six, ten steps ahead."
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