Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson honored a Navy veteran ahead of Thanksgiving when he gave the veteran his personal pickup truck last week on Wednesday, and the moment was captured on video.
Johnson posted the video on Wednesday showing when he surprised a specially invited audience of his fans as they watched his new film “Red Notice.” He called down a member of the audience, Oscar Rodriguez, who he introduced and called attention to Rodriguez’s acts of kindness before leading him outside to the surprise truck giveaway.
In a message posted along with the video on social media, Johnson said he’d given the theater audience free concessions and ice cream, but added, “I also wanted to do something BIG… something MASSIVE…something unforgettable for one fan.”
Johnson said he originally wanted to give away the Porsche Taycan he drove in the film, but Porsche said no. “But I still said, yes. I’ll do one better. I’ll give away my personal custom truck as the gift. My baby,” Johnson added.
Johnson said he gathered as much information as he could about the fans in the audience and Rodriguez’s story caught his attention. Rodriguez was a Navy veteran who now helps people as a personal trainer, is a leader of his church, provides meals for women victims of domestic violence, and takes care of his 75-year-old mother, Johnson explained.
The video shows Johnson leading Rodriguez to his pickup truck – a heavily customized, lifted Ford F-150 Raptor – and telling him to read a card inside the truck.
Rodriguez read the card, which said, “Thank you for your service, brother. Enjoy your new truck,” before collapsing to the ground and beginning to cry.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen you in this truck,” Rodriguez said.
“It is my truck and now it’s your truck!” Johnson told Rodriguez. “You do a lot of good for people, brother. The gym. The church. Your mom. Women. Women who need that support, who are going through it.”
“Oscar said it right, just before he drove away ~ it’s just love. That’s all it is, brother. Just love,” Johnson said on social media.
Rodriguez later spoke to CNN’s Jim Acosta, telling him he’d wanted to meet Johnson for “so long” and “for him to acknowledge me was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
“I didn’t want that moment to ever end. Now I have that moment in me and I will never forget it,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez posted his own reaction on Instagram on Thursday thanking Johnson again wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
