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As one of the most popular cop shows currently airing, you can see why actors would want to find themselves on the set of The Rookie. I mean, bonafide movie star Nathan Fillion is in the titular role. but according to the series creator, Alexi Hawley, there was at least one example of a megastar actor showing up on set not to film there at all, but to be a caring dad. That actor's name - Dwayne Johnson.

The topic came up at Hulu's The Rookie panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con, where surprise guest (and The Rookie North star) Jay Ellis was asking the attending cast and crew about their experiences on the original series. At one point on the discussion, Ellis asked for the "funniest, craziest, out of the blue fan interaction" that the panelists had ever gone through as a result of the show, and it was The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley who had the first answer.

"So," began Hawley, "There's an unknown actor named Dwayne Johnson..." 

(Pausing here so that you can imagine a packed room of Rookie fans cheering for The Rock.)

"He called up," Halwey continued, "Because his daughter is 9 - about to become 10 -  is a huge fan of the show. We were her favorite show and he wanted to bring her to set. And I mean, I think that was a really amazing day for us on set to have him there with her. That was pretty surreal for sure."

Sounds like a wild day, Alexi, and I have to imagine at least some of the folks on set were wondering whether they weren't interacting with a surprise guest star when they saw Johnson's iconic bald head and 600 kilos of body mass. The question we have is how Johnson felt about the visit, and more specifically, did he like ity enough to return as a professional, not just a fan?

We'll keep an eye on his socials for an answer.

The Rookie season 9 debuts on Hulu in January 2027.

Want to catch up with Hulu's hit cop drama? Let Popverse share everything we know about The Rookie's season 9.