Dwayne Jonhson once claimed he would surpass Will Smith, George Clooney

Dwayne Johnson had big Hollywood dreams from the get-go.

In an interview with GQ Magazine published Monday, November 12, the wrestler-turned-Hollywood-star recalled declaring early in his career that he would one day surpass the likes of Will Smith and George Clooney vis-a-vis star power.

But when his agents at the time doubted him, Johnson parted ways with them.

Now, years later, Johnson’s films have brought in a staggering $4.6 billion in U.S. and Canadian box office sales, according to IMDB Pro, outpacing both Smith’s $4.2 billion and Clooney’s $2.5 billion tallies.

During the 2010s, Johnson’s box-office hits like Fast Five and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle cemented his A-list status, and he’s been one of Forbes‘ highest-paid actors in multiple years, frequently surpassing both Smith and Clooney in annual earnings.

Reflecting on that mindset, Johnson told GQ, “That was the idea back then… But I feel now, looking back on the career, the declaration is just different.”

Today, he’s more focused on personal fulfillment than chasing records: “Get up every day and run toward the stuff that I love doing… There’s my children, I wanna run toward them. My family, et cetera.”