Free Guy: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Cameo Explained

Free Guy is filled with Easter eggs and cameos from many popular franchises and actors, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Free Guy takes place within a popular open-world video game in which the NPCs, or non-player characters, slowly gain awareness and come to life. As Ryan Reynolds’ character, a bank teller NPC known as Guy, interacts with his world, he comes face-to-face with some of Reynolds’ real-life friends as well.

In the film, Guy grows tired of always being a bystander in a bank robbery and ordering the same kind of coffee day after day. However, when he tries to do some things differently, everything in Free Guy starts to fall apart. Guy unintentionally sparks something and has to try to save his world when the game’s creator threatens to replace it. Free Guy‘s many Easter eggs add another element of fun to the film, even if viewers may miss some of them on their first watch.

Dwayne Johnson’s cameo appearance in Free Guy is one of the player characters, controlled by a young girl who participates in the bank heist quest. Guy first starts ignoring his typical script when The Rock’s character, wearing a sky blue suit and skull mask, robs his bank. Guy accidentally shoots the robber while stealing his glasses, which introduces him to the gaming elements of his world. In the scene, Johnson is unrecognizable as himself, thanks to the mask and a change in height. While in real life, Johnson is noticeably taller than Reynolds, their two characters are the same height in Free Guy. Nothing disguises Johnson’s voice, however. When he questions Guy’s actions and tries to threaten him into standing down, it’s clearly Johnson speaking behind that mask.

The Rock was likely included in Free Guy because of his long-standing friendship with Reynolds. Johnson shared (via IMDB), “I have not known any other actor in Hollywood longer than I’ve known Ryan Reynolds.” They first met in 2002 at MTV’s Spring Break in Cancun to promote their first feature films — Johnson’s The Scorpion King and Reynolds’ Van Wilder. Almost 20 years later, they co-starred in Netflix’s Red Notice, and Reynolds supported Johnson when his father unexpectedly passed away on the first day of filming. Johnson explained (via People) that Reynolds gave him a big hug the moment he returned to set and added that “the love, bond, and brotherhood is there.” The pair also regularly teased each other while promoting Red Notice, which further emphasized just how close the two of them were.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s cameo in Free Guy is subtle enough that some viewers may not have caught it. Amidst all of the movie’s Easter eggs, such as Captain America’s shield and a Jedi lightsaber, Johnson’s appearance as a masked robber could easily go unnoticed. Yet, it’s a small nod to Reynolds’ long-lasting friendship with The Rock.

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