'Young Rock' Star Matthew Willig Reacts to Being Promoted to Series Regular for Season 2 (Exclusive)
Young Rock Season 2 will feature more wrestling, which means fans will see more of Andre the Giant, who is played by former NFL player Matthew Willig. Before Season 2 premiered, it was announced that Willig will be a series regular on the NBC show. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Willig responded to be being part of the main cast, calling it a "nice turn of events."
"I think it was a credit to the way that people connected with Andre's character and enjoyed how he came into play," he said. "Obviously, it means that Andre will live on and sort of continue that relationship with Dwayne [Johnson], which was cool for me. To be able to continue that side of the relationship was important. Hopefully, as things go on and progress, we'll get to see Andre and his later years in life and how that came about because it was a tough last few years for him as a human being. So I think hopefully, as time goes on, we'll delve into that part of it."
Johnson has talked about the relationship he had with Andre the Giant when he was younger. Andre, who died in 1993, is a legendary WWE figure. He won the WWE Championship in 1988 after beating Hulk Hogan who held on to the title for four years. Andre was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993. He was the first entrant into the Hall of Fame and the only member of the 1993 class. Andre is also a charter member of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Willig also told PopCulture about what to expect from Andre in Season 2. "You're going to see a little bit more of the same," he said. "I think there's definitely ... we're going to have some time with little Dewey again, and him imparting some wisdom and some love towards him. I take a little bit of a step back a little bit for a few episodes. I'm going to help Lia as her court case progresses, and help her along the way. And then we'll see how it goes after that."
Young Rock airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. For more on the NBC sitcom and all your news on Dwayne Johnson, stick to PopCulture.com for the latest.