Fillipino-Australian Powerlifter Fulfills Dream, Appears In Cameo On ‘Young Rock’

Gawain Johnstone is admittedly a huge WWE fan, but the powerlifting athletes from Australia never imagined that he would end up landing a role on Dwyane Johnson’s “Young Rock” sitcom.

In an exclusive interview with PTV Digital, the Filipino-Australian shared how he got the role of wrestling superstar Minotaur and appeared on the episode titled “Corpus Christi” which was aired last May 3.

“I was tagged in Instagram to the audition post by my mates to make fun of me, so I ended up sending the audition tapes and I didn’t hear for a quite while,” the 36-year-old powerlifter started.

“I completely forgot about it and someone sent me an email that I got accepted to the next round, eventually I got a call from the casting director that I got the role."

It was a memorable experience for Johnstone who added that most of it were done remotely.

Looking ahead, he hopes that he can also appear in more shows–particularly in his home country of the Philippines.

“It’s an amazing experience with amazing people. I’m trying to find the right agency or talent manager and take my toes into some film and TV, particularly in Manila,” Johnstone shared.

Acting is the latest binge that Johnstone has added to his busy schedule. He is a well-known powerlifter in Asia, someone who has been branded as one of the strongest Filipinos ever.

One of the highlights of Gawain’s career is being one of the few powerlifters to squat 400 kilograms.

In 2021, Johnstone appeared on the Sports Bytes PH podcast and shed more light on that experience.

“The very first time I met Arnold [Schwarzenneger] was a few years before I squatted 400 [kilograms]. At that time, there were no other Australian-born men that had squatted before, and I was the first. Arnold had come over just to watch the powerlifting for a moment and I happened to be the last lift, last squat of the day,” he recalled.

“I didn’t realize he was there because I was focused on what I was trying to do. That adrenaline rush, adrenaline dump, I was just fired up. I slammed the bar back and I would just. I don’t know. I just lost my mind. I stared at Arnold an I high-fived him and even kinda hurt him at the same time."