How Old Was Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson When He Filmed The Mummy Returns?

In 1999, director Stephen Sommers pulled an unprecedented move: He remade a 1932 film called The Mummy. Touching the story up for a modern audience and adding comedy into the mix, his remake (which is more like a spiritual successor) would not only come to be a cult classic that spawned sequels galore, but arguably changed the action movie genre for the better. Protagonist Rick O'Connell is also one of Brendan Fraser's best-known roles, and for good reason. The special effects may not hold up anymore, but the endearing sense of adventure and fun emanating from every frame is hard to beat.

The film's 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns, continues the characters' journeys a few years later and introduces a new threat to the world: Mathayus of Akkad, better known as the Scorpion King. Played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the character is perhaps best known for the infamously horrendous CGI used to create him. Johnson would get a second, CGI-less chance at the character in franchise spin-off The Scorpion King (his very first leading role), but it's hard to forget his The Mummy Returns appearance nonetheless.

However you decide to remember the Scorpion King himself, it's interesting to see such a young Johnson; he's been on our screens for so long now he seems almost ageless, which probably has a lot to do with his massive physique. To that point, though, just how old was he when he filmed The Mummy Returns?

Let's do a little math. Johnson was born on May 2, 1972. The Mummy Returns came out on May 4, 2001, when Johnson was two days over 29 — but we're looking for his age when the movie was shot, not when it was released.

Films obviously don't wrap and then release a few days later (though it would be pretty amazing if they did, especially with all the movies and shows being delayed because of COVID-19), so Johnson had to be younger than 29 during filming. According to IMDb, Sommers shot the film between May 1 and September 29, 2000. So, assuming Johnson was there from the very first day on set, he was 27, then turned and remained 28 for the duration of the production period. Final answer, then: Johnson is 28 years old in The Mummy Returns.

Even at that age, Johnson had the perfect build for action roles, which is no doubt part of the reason why his career took off so swiftly and surely — the other part being his undeniable charm. No matter how old he gets, Johnson will forever remain a cornerstone (cornerRock?) of Hollywood.