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The Tooth Fairy's Dwayne Johnson

How was it working with Julie Andrews?
She's great. I had never met her before but of course I had grown up watching [her] and mesmerized by the magic she has given us. I was so impressed meeting her. She’s beautiful on the outside and on the inside. She does a wonderful job of making everyone feel at ease. I think that is really the mark of someone who is special.

Tell us about your character?
The idea of the tooth fairy was interesting to me. The idea has been around Hollywood for decades. There have been a lot of actors attached to it, Bruce Willis, Jack Black and even Arnold Schwarzenegger years ago. But they were having a hard time cracking the story and how they should tell it. By the time it came to my desk we got great writers on board and the comedy really came through. I thought just as important as the comedy is the message: the importance of believing.

Did the sports angle come because of your involvement?
I’ve read many versions of earlier scripts where he was not a sports person. We all just felt that the idea of an athlete, a sports man who is incredibly arrogant, would help steer the story to being broad. The idea of a tooth fairy inherently skews to girls and fantasy so we wanted to make the story appeal to more people.

How much does the theme of following your dreams resonate to you?
It’s vital to me, the power of belief and believing. But it’s not only believing in dreams but in our potential – whether in children or adults – understanding our potential is a big thing for me and I can relate to it.

Was this your first time on the ice?
Yes. I’m not that good on skates at all! We had former hockey players playing with us. I tried to learn how to skate but I had ruptured my Achilles tendon when I shot The Game Plan and I had it reattached a couple of years ago. My movements were terrible on the ice. I looked very awkward. So we realized pretty early they needed some good stunt doubles. Often when I was on the ice I was wired to keep me steady.

You brought your daughter (Simone, 8) to the set?
She loved it. My daughter is more interested in the technical aspect. How did I fly? Is it a green screen? She’ll watch Harry Potter and watch all the behind the scenes extras on the DVD and she’s fascinated with that.

How was wearing the tutu?
It was absurd and pink and I had size 14 ballet slippers! But when you are making a comedy you can’t worry about looking cool.

As a parent, how important is it for you to make family movies?
I don’t necessarily think of making movies for my little girl but she can serve as a great litmus test. I can sit her down and read the script to her and watch her react and see where she thinks its funny. That helps me a great deal. Because I’m a dad now I understand how important it is to make a good family movie.

What do you like doing with your daughter?
She loves to horseback ride, she is a great rider. She loves video games and watching movies, going to her soccer games. I’m not big on going out, so we tend to do things pretty quietly.

Are you a strict parent?
Probably not as strict as I should be. I should be more firm, maybe not strict – but she’s daddy’s little girl. There is a very special relationship with a father and his little girl.

How much work do you put into maintaining your body?
Five days a week, two days on and take the third off. I train for about an hour and a half. For me training is a big part of my life and it anchors my day. It is sanctuary for me and people leave me alone and I don’t have to be on my blackberry.

The Tooth Fairy is out on Blu-Ray and DVD