On 22 May at roughly three o'clock in the morning, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook the residents of Kent from their slumber. A few hours earlier, Dwayne Johnson had touched down in London to begin promotion for his new building-tumbling blockbuster San Andreas. Coincidence? Apparently so.
From the vast proportions of its lead actor to the astonishing levels of destruction wrought upon California, everything about San Andreas is huge. The latest film to tug on the prevalent human fear of the Earth splitting open and swallowing up mankind, it manages to tred that oft-failed disaster film line of balancing nerve-shattering CGI spectacles with an engaging, character-driven story.
Johnson stars as Ray, an (unlikely proportioned) helicopter rescue pilot renowned for plucking stricken and stranded Californians from deadly scenarios. When a record earthquake splits the San Andreas fault line wide open, Ray calls upon his skills to rescue his ex-wife Emma (Carla Gugino) and daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) from the ruins of San Francisco.
Ahead of the film's UK release, we caught up with Johnson to discuss his expanding range of roles, including his upcoming appearance as DC villain Black Adam, and his choice of cheeky Nandos.
San Andreas is in cinemas from 28 May
