Tanoai Reed didn’t smell what The Rock was cookin’! Dwayne Johnson recently surprised the stunt performer — who happens to be his cousin — with a custom truck to thank him for all his years of hard work.
Reed, 44, had just returned to work after an injury and thought he and Johnson, 46, were simply filming a behind-the-scenes clip. He was totally unaware was about to receive a visit from “Dwanta Claus,” as Johnson’s Facebook video calls him.
The Skyscraper star keeps a straight face in the video, even as he puts his hands on hips to signal for the truck to be revealed behind him.
“The Scorpion King was our first movie together,” Reed recalled, referencing Johnson’s 2002 Mummy spinoff. (Since then, he has doubled for the actor in at least 20 films, including Rampage, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Fate of the Furious.)
“When I saw him, I was like, ‘Oh, my God! Looks like my twin!’” Johnson added. “The truth is, he’s been an incredible partner and brother to me.”
Then the WWE alum turns toward his friend and addresses him with the Samoan word for brother: “It’s been an honor, Uso, and I want to say from my bottom of my heart, I love you, I thank you, and, um, enjoy your new truck.”
That’s when Reed turns and spots the pickup, and he’s immediately overcome with emotion. Finally, he manages to say, “Thank you, man. Thank you so much.”
“Seventeen years of him giving his blood, his sweat. I mean, this is a small token of my appreciation,” Johnson tells viewers.
“Over the course of my career, my stunt double (and cousin) Tanoai Reed has broken multiple bones, severed tendons, torn ligaments & just been an overall dominating badass achieving several ‘Stuntman of the Year’ honors,” the Ballers actor wrote in the video’s caption.
“All done with one goal in mind — deliver the best movie possible to the world … Not only does Tanoai represent our family and my career with relentless commitment and passion, he also represents an entire Hollywood stunt community that is truly the backbone of our business.”
Besides the tears, Reed also express his gratitude on Twitter. He captioned a serious of photos of himself and the action star with his new truck: “#BlessedBeyondBelief.”
Johnson has shown his generous side before. In April 2016, for example, the Moana star visited hospitalized children for the Make-a-Wish program; and that December, he surprised his father, Rocky, with a new car.
