The Rock: Real men cry!

Dwayne Johnson says San Andreas took him to new places when it came to his acting.

The 43-year-old actor, more well known by his former wrestling name The Rock, plays a Los Angeles Fire Department rescue helicopter pilot who teams up with his ex-wife following a devastating earthquake in an attempt to find their daughter.

Dwayne has previously been known for his roles in films such as The Fast and the Furious and The Scorpion King.

However, he says his part in the upcoming disaster movie tapped into a deeper, more emotional side of him as an actor.

"It was one of those things where we wanted to make sure that we went to places that I had not been to before. But also, it was the balance of a big spectacle which you get with San Andreas, but root it and ground it with real emotion,” he said during an interview with Access Hollywood.

The film comes to a close with a climactic conclusion. And Dwayne admits that he might even have shed a tear while watching it.

"It's a man who saves lives for living, but yet he can't save his daughter's life," he said. “So, between the spectacle, the balance of that and family core… I may or may not have shed a little tear.

"Real men cry! Real men cry!" he laughed.

San Andreas also stars Carla Gugino, Paul Giamatti, Archie Panjabi and Ioan Gruffudd.

It hits cinemas on May 29.