The Rock took to Instagram to talk about the grueling preparations he undertook to get into the titular role for Hercules, which hits the big screen this summer.

“I trained and worked harder than ever for 8 months for this role. Lived alone and locked myself away (like a moody 260-lb. monk) in Budapest for 6 months while filming. Goal was to completely transform into this character. Disappear in the role. Press journalist asked me today, with the mental & physical toll the role had on me, would I do it again? Not only would I do it again.. I’d do it f*cking twice. You’ll be the first to see the EXCLUSIVE #HERCULES trailer one week from today. Look forward to showing you… #TilDeathOrVictory #AndALittle12LaborsBlood”

The hype is building on this one. If The Rock can pull off the cherished double of a box-office hit and good reviews from the critics, then he will become even more of a power player in Hollywood (remember, he was named the highest grossing actor for 2013). Not bad for a guy who has admitted on social media that he only had a few bucks in his pocket when he began his journey to the top of the WWE, and eventually over to the movies. If you think of his progression from being a star of one industry to conquering another, it is not too dissimilar from another famous gym-loving person we feature regularly on these pages…

Did we mention that The Rock came out with an instant classic post on Monday? For those who didn’t catch it, check out what he spotted at his local store:

In recent weeks, Dwayne Johnson has been working hard on his TNT reality show Wake Up Call, and it looks like he is now turning his attention to his next project on the big screen, San Andreas:

On top of that, he proved that he’s an all-around good guy when a fan in Ireland contacted representatives of the Pain & Gain star to let them know that her brother was fighting cancer and that any inspiration/motivation from Dwayne Johnson would be huge. The Rock came through with this message. To read the full story on this, check out this piece from our friends in Ireland at joe.ie. Maith an fear The Rock (That’s Irish for “Good man The Rock!”).

Photo courtesy therock