Why didn't Hogan have the same Hollywood success as Rock?

[willyjakes]

He clearly had the larger than life persona, physique, and just outright presence to be at least a big screen action star...but it never really materialized.

A friend of mine told me it's because Hogan still comes across a bit too laid back and California Cool (the way he seems in real life) on the big screen while the Rock is more natural in projecting his intensity. Could that be the case?

Was it just a case of bad luck? The 80's had plenty of action stars making memorable movies. Stallone, Arnold, Willis, Gibson, Van Damme. Not exactly territory Hogan could break into where he can have good scripts handed to him to help springboard him somewhere. Meanwhile Rock exists in an era where we're a bit starved for real action stars...so he fits the bill

Is it that Hogan just never really stuck to it? He never totally abandoned wrestling like Rock did and stick it out in Hollywood long enough.

[marvelocity]

Rock had The Scorpion King and The Rundown to introduce himself to Hollywoood. Hogan had Mr. Nanny and Suburban Commando.

[kidtamagotchi]

Hulk Hogan seemed to stick to family friendly roles in Hollywood. I wonder if Vince McMahon had a say in what movies Hogan could star in? I think he alluded to it in one of his books. Then again, he still made family friendly movies when he was in WCW. His more 'mature' (if you can call them that) movies were made for TV. I think he could have had a great career if he picked better movies to be in. (Suburban Commando rocks, though)

[Digital Witness]

The Rock just has swag that applies his audience more than whatever it is Hogan had even in his prime.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Because Hogan never escaped the wrestling umbrella, most of the time he played a wrestler, The Rock to his credit played different types of characters, he also worked with reputable directors, he worked his way up without the WWE's help, guys like Hogan and Cena stayed in their comfort zone. I'm excited to see what Cena is capable of doing outside the wwe bubble.

[Kevin Hamilton]

He's not as good.

The Rock has consistently improved. He's never gonna be Olivier, but he knows the roles he fits in, and has improved his acting ability there.

Also, Hogan picked SHIT projects.

Additionally, Hogan has never, in anything he's in, played anything other than Hulk Hogan.

[Sir Woodrow]

I like watching The Rock in movies, however Dwayne wishes he had a role like Shep Ramsay

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Hogan just wasn't that great of an actor. Every movie Hogan was in he just Hogan in a movie. There wasn't hardly any difference between Hulk Hogan and whatever character Hogan played it was mostly Hulk Hogan with a different name. The Rock mean while changed from one role to the other and never really came off as The Rock in a movie scene but he acting just like the Rock. The Rock changed his style to whatever the movie calls for.

[Shark]

In the end Hogan just isn't a good actor. The Rock has become a good actor. Also the Rock has a great natural charisma that helps him greatly. Even when he's been in bad movies, he's never the reason why they are bad. All the family movies he's been in, he's actually been good in them, it's the rest of the movie that isn't any good. Hogan wasn't like that. He never had or took roles that required him to actually show something.

[Deleted]

Hogan sucks as an actor.

His first movie was Rocky III, and although we all love Thunderlips, you have to admit he sucked. After that performance, who would have really wanted to make a movie with Hogan?

Vince McMahon, that's who.

McMahon co-wrote No Holds Barred, which sucked about 25x harder than Rocky III, which is really saying a lot.

So right there out of the box, you've got a sucky actor delivering two epic suck performances in two monolithically suck movies.

Suck, suck, suck.

[Tony Schiavontay]

Because Hogan's acting ability, his choice of roles, the quality of films he appeared in and his entire acting career as a whole can be summed up in one word:

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Jul 24, 2014 17:27:26 GMT -5 Kevin Hamilton said:

He's not as good.

The Rock has consistently improved. He's never gonna be Olivier, but he knows the roles he fits in, and has improved his acting ability there.

Also, Hogan picked SHIT projects.

Additionally, Hogan has never, in anything he's in, played anything other than Hulk Hogan.

Pretty much exactly this. The Rock is a better actor and chose better movies.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Rock can act. Even though he's found his niche in high-octane action pictures, he's done a variety of different roles, and done them well.

Hogan can just do Hogan. That's fine in a five-minute promo, but not in a 90-minute movie.

[Mozenrath]

Better projects, better actor, but beyond that, Hulk Hogan is the 80s cartoon character. It's like Mr. T: you're not hiring Mr. T to play Othello, you're hiring him to play Mr. T, and the same goes for Hogan.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Jul 24, 2014 17:13:09 GMT -5 willyjakes said:

A friend of mine told me it's because Hogan still comes across a bit too laid back and California Cool (the way he seems in real life) on the big screen while the Rock is more natural in projecting his intensity. Could that be the case?

I'd say it's the total opposite of this.

Hogan's not laid back and cool.

He's HULK HOGAN, the wrestler, always loud and melodramatic, acting for the cheap seats, looking like he's 2 seconds from saying "Let me tell you something Mean Gene".

[Professor Chaos]

Hogan came off as cheesey as hell to me as an actor, his movie roles didn't help. Haven't seen all The Rock's stuff but loved him in Fast 5/6 and Pain and Gain.

[Deleted]

The Rock gave a masterclass in Southland Tales, Hogan...was just a goofy pantomime hero every time he was on screen.

Hogan wasn't a good actor, he was a GREAT wrestler, but either he didn't have the subtlety/skill to act on film, or he never had the shot to display that he had the subtle skills to act.

Frankly, I think both of those factors apply. I mean Rock's had some shitty movies (Pain & Gain, Scorpion King, Doom) but has a decent amount of good, and a good few GREAT ones, but ALL of Hogan's films are horrendous, and he's horrendous in all of them except for Rocky III, where he played his heel wrestling character anyway.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

he was too goofy looking and he never did anything to distance himself from being Hulk Hogan. he was always playing "thinly veiled Hogan stand-in" in everything he did. Dwayne Johnson actually separated himself from his early role and played other kinds of characters often enough.

[Bad Moon]

Jul 24, 2014 22:23:49 GMT -5 @tafkaga said:

Hogan sucks as an actor.

His first movie was Rocky III, and although we all love Thunderlips, you have to admit he sucked. After that performance, who would have really wanted to make a movie with Hogan?

Well to be fair Thunderlips was a wrestler and wrestlers are bad actors. Picking a bad actor to play a bad actor is pretty damn good casting. 

[Slingshot Suplay]

Hogan was too campy to be taken seriously.