Young Rock's Bradley Constant Hugged Dwayne Johnson No Less Than 12 Times When They First Met – Exclusive

Meeting Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a big deal — even for the actors tasked with playing Johnson on the hit NBC series "Young Rock," which airs on Friday nights. In fact, Bradley Constant — who portrays The Rock during his teenage years on the series — was so excited to meet the multi-hyphenate former pro wrestler that he said he thinks he hugged him no less than 12 times when they first met, the up-and-coming actor exclusively told Looper during a recent exclusive interview.

Set in 2032, when Johnson has decided to run for president, "Young Rock" follows the Hollywood superstar (who's played by the real Johnson) as he tries to recover from a devastating loss at the polls by telling his backstory to actor-turned-journalist Randall Park, who plays himself. Via a series of flashbacks to the 1980s and '90s, we learn about The Rock's upbringing, family, and early career.

So, while Johnson and Constant don't have any scenes together onscreen, they have crossed paths on the "Young Rock" set, and Constant shared his story with Looper about how exciting it was to first meet the star of the show in person and revealed the encouraging words The Rock said to him.

As teenage Dwayne, Constant's scenes are circa 1987, when The Rock was just an oversized, mustachioed kid in high school trying to impress girls. It's the first major role for Constant, who admits he was starstruck the first time he laid eyes on Johnson in real life.

"I went and watched him on set," Constant told Looper. "When I first got there, Randall Park was there, and they were filming together. I'm like, 'I can't believe I'm watching these people film.' I got to learn so much. Then, in between takes, I get distracted, I'm looking at my phone, and Dwayne pops his head through the doorway and smiles. I lose my mind; I literally drop my phone when he comes in. I went up to him, and I had planned to shake his hand and do the whole thing, but I gave him a big old hug."

But Constant didn't stop there. "I think I hugged him 12 times, over and over again. He was probably like, 'Kid, get off me,' but I was excited. It was such a build-up because we'd met each other over Zoom and had some texts here and there, but meeting in person was really special."

During their brief encounter, Constant also received some words of encouragement from Johnson.

"He took the time ... and complimented me for my role on the show, saying, 'You're doing a good job,'" says Constant. "That means the most because I have always wanted to make sure that I do right by him and his family. We all feel that way because it's real life; it's not just some show. It was very special."

Season 3 of "Young Rock" airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Episodes are then available for streaming the next day on Peacock.