Dawn Images

The 45-year-old Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as 'The Rock', has had two great consecutive years as America’s best-paid actor.

But life hasn't been smooth sailing for him. The wrestler-turned-actor recently opened up about battling depression and his struggles as a teen with a suicidal mother.

“I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly,” he said in an interview with Express.

The Jumanji star shared that when he was just 15, his mother tried to kill herself in front of him, months after they were evicted from their apartment.

“She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” he said. Big rigs and cars were swerving out of the way. “I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.”

He added: “What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.”

Years later, Johnson’s dream of becoming a professional football player was shattered after numerous injuries. Shortly afterwards, Johnson’s girlfriend broke up with him. The Rock calls it his "absolute worst time,” he said.

Johnson says had he not found the inner strength to carry on, he could easily have become suicidal like his mother.

“We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain,” he said. “We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”

When a fan recently told him he was suffering depression, Johnson wrote back: “I hear you. I’ve battled that beast more than once.”