MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG)— When The Rock rolled into a Memphis neighborhood and met one of his biggest fans recently, she could barely stop crying long enough to get the picture of a lifetime.
Charis Carroll, a 16-year-old in 10th grade at Crosstown High, waited two hours to meet Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson after he filmed a segment at the Annesdale Mansion near her home on Snowden Circle in Midtown.
She said she spotted Johnson’s stunt double first, and asked to get a photo. He explained that he wasn’t really The Rock, but said he would put in a good word for her.
When Johnson finally showed up outside the mansion, Charis got a selfie and a hug from the actor and wrestler. Johnson posted a video of their meeting to his Instagram page (see it here), where it has been viewed more than 1.6 million times as of Tuesday.
“I was so excited to see him, so excited to meet him,” she said Tuesday. “I didn’t do much research in how kind he was. I did not expect him to be that kind. I was kind of expecting him to be like, ‘No I can’t take a photo right now, I’m really busy.'”
In his Instagram post, Johnson told Charis he was giving all her friends at Crosstown High free tickets to his new superhero movie “Black Adam” on opening night, Oct. 21.
Johnson is in Memphis to film the upcoming third season of “Young Rock,” a TV show based in part on his early life, including his time in Memphis as a young man getting his start on the wrestling circuit.
Johnson started his professional wrestling career in the Bluff City. He has said he came to Memphis and was taken in by a family friend when he was 15, and again when he was 24.
Filming around Memphis will continue through February.