Carla Gugino: Dwayne's my Rock

Carla Gugino has a special level of trust with Dwayne Johnson.

The pair play divorcing couple Emma and Ray in new disaster movie San Andreas.

As well as having to deal with the end of their marriage the pair are caught up in the worst earthquake ever recorded, as it rips through California destroying everything in its path.

"[So I know] Dwayne and he's become a dear friend and I think in something like this that was really important," Carla told British newspaper Metro. "Of course, as an actor you have to play the scene where you're being torn from your husband of 20 years on the first day of shooting, or have a sex scene: 'Hi! Nice to meet you, let's take our clothes off!'

"But it really is a special thing to have a level of trust because we had to establish these characters having had a long relationship before, to be feeling really loving. He's hilarious and he takes his job very seriously so we had such a great time on this movie."

San Andreas also stars Paul Giamatti and Ioan Gruffudd. Alexandra Daddario stars as Ray and Emma's daughter Blake, with the story based around the frantic parents' journey to save her from falling buildings.

Scenes of skyscrapers crumbling, cruise ships being pummelled on to land and the giant Hoover Dam giving way make for scary viewing, and Carla admits she was in shock when she watched it back.

"I just saw the film for the first time myself and I know what's going to happen in the movie but about three-quarters of the way through, I thought: 'I have to lower my shoulders, they're hanging on my ears,'" she smiled.