Summary

• Dwayne Johnson's chronic lateness caused tension on the set of Red Notice and Red One, adding millions to the budget.
• Johnson's reported unprofessionalism extended to other productions, causing confrontations with co-stars.
• His reputation for being late and unprofessional on set could lead to future conflicts with co-stars.

Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds feuded on the set of Red Notice, as detailed by two new reports. Released on Netflix in 2021, the action comedy follows an FBI agent who apprehensively joins forces with a well-known art thief in order to apprehend an even more infamous thief, leading to a series of double-crosses. Johnson, Reynolds, and Gal Gadot lead the Red Notice cast, but despite its big stars and budget of $200 million, the film was panned by critics for its gaudy action.

Now, over two years after its release, two new reports from TheWrap and TMZ claim that Johnson and Reynolds feuded on the set of Red Notice. Reynolds got extremely upset after waiting five hours for Johnson, leading to a "huge fight" between them, and the latter left the set in anger. The two stars didn't speak for years until they recently reconciled, according to insiders.

Dwayne Johnson's Chronic Lateness Explained

Johnson Is Gaining A Reputation For Poor On-Set Behavior

Johnson showing up late to the Red Notice set isn't the only time his chronic lateness and reported lack of professionalism have negatively impacted a production. According to the same report from TheWrap, Johnson was late an average of seven to eight hours per day during production of his upcoming Christmas action movie, Prime Video's Red One. On other days, he didn't show up at all, causing the crew to work around his absence. Overall, this added $50 million to the movie's budget, increasing it to a total of $250 million.

The similarly titled Red Notice and Red One weren't the only productions that dealt with lateness from Johnson. According to insiders, Johnson was late an average of four to five hours per day during production of 2018's Rampage, which resulted in one unnamed co-star keeping a record of The Rock's lateness. Including Reynolds, Johnson's tardiness has frequently resulted in confrontations with co-stars, famously leading to The Rock and Vin Diesel's feud on Fast & Furious.

According to several insiders, Johnson has gained a reputation in the industry for being chronically late and unprofessional. In addition to film sets, this extends to fan events and WrestleMania 40, which he arrived three hours late for. If these reports are true, Reynolds on Red Notice probably won't be the last time one of Johnson's co-stars is infuriated by his chronic lateness, unless he drastically changes his behavior.

How Johnson Gets Away With Unprofessional Behavior

The Movie Star Still Manages To Get Big Roles

Three of his highest-paid years were after his Rampage behavior, showing that his set behavior has had minimal career effect.

One would think that Johnson’s chronic lateness would harm his career now that it has been reported on multiple sets. This has not been the case, however, as even after 2018’s Rampage and other reported incidents, his career has remained active. Since his work on Red Notice in 2021, Johnson has appeared in multiple major projects, including Black Adam and the TV series Young Rock. These works just go to show the amount of star power that Johnson has. Even if he causes production issues, his name is a draw enough to get people in seats.

Part of Johnson’s power comes from being one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. This streak of opulence has been the case for several years now, as Johnson was the highest paid actor in Hollywood in 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021. While the recently released list of highest-paid actors for 2023 did not include Johnson in its top 10, this could change for 2024, as Johnson is slated to reprise his voice role as Maui in the Moana 2 cast. Three of his highest-paid years were after his Rampage behavior, showing that his set behavior has had minimal career effect.

Studios might be more likely to brush aside Johnson’s behavior because his films typically make so much money. The Fast and Furious franchise alone has grossed over $7 billion total, making it one of the highest-grossing film series of all time. Johnson has brought films to success outside the Fast and Furious franchise as well, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which made just under $1 billion globally. Thus, studios might be more willing to excuse Johnson’s bad on-set track record, because his box office track record is impeccable.

Will Ryan Reynolds Work With Dwayne Johnson Again After Red Notice?

Johnson’s Reconciliation Efforts Have Been Positive

As much as Johnson has a history of upsetting his co-stars, he also now has a history of reconciliation. Johnson reportedly settled his famous dispute with Diesel, which dated back to 2016. In 2023, it was reported that Johnson and Diesel got past their feud enough to work together again on more Fast and Furious films. Now, Johnson is slated to rejoin the franchise and will next appear as Hobbs in Fast X: Part 2.

Johnson and Diesel’s reunification gives hope for the possibility of Reynolds working with Johnson again. If the insiders are correct in their reports, the two are already reconciling, which provides even more hope. If Johnson is able to smooth over his relationship with Reynolds, perhaps the pair could work again on another action film. If they do, hopefully the press from these reports will encourage Johnson to aid the production of a better action film than Red Notice.

Source: TheWrap/TMZ