Dwayne Johnson receives flak for casting himself as dark-skinned African-American folklore legend John Henry
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, is getting slammed for casting himself as an African-American folklore legend in an upcoming Netflix film which he happens to be producing as well. On Tuesday, the actor took to Instagram and posted a teaser for 'John Henry and the Statesmen'. Henry is an African-American folk hero who raced against a steam machine and won. He ended giving up his own life in the process.
The 'Rampage' actor wrote on his post that he is happy to be playing the character of his childhood hero. "Inspired to bring to life one of my childhood heroes, John Henry, in JOHN HENRY & THE STATESMEN. In this movie, I’ll lead an ensemble of the most popular folklore figures and legends from different cultures around the world..." his post read.