"I like a lot of the stuff he’s in." Slayer legend Kerry King would like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to play him in a movie

Kerry King posing with a guitar and The Rock at a Disney event
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Thrash metal legend Kerry King has named the two action movie icons he'd like to see play him in a movie should his story ever make it to the big screen - and one of his choices is a WWE legend who made waves at this year's Wrestlemania.

Answering fan questions in the latest issue of Metal Hammer, King - who appeared at Aftershock festival this past weekend with a reunited Slayer - is asked who would play him in a biopic of his life.

“The only one that loosely fits the description is Vin Diesel," he says. "If you go down that road you might also say The Rock, but I’m not nearly that giant! That would be awesome, though – I’ll say The Rock, because I like a lot of the stuff he’s in.”

Elsewhere, King is asked when the last time he had a 'day job' was, and what he was doing at the time.

“I think I was, like, 17 or 18," he recalls. "I think it was a pet store – it was actually around ’88 or ’89 and I didn’t need the job, but when Slayer weren’t working I’d go pull a shift there. The last job I had to work was when I was at my parents’, at a mini-golf place, believe it or not. They’d get me in to clean out the holes that were flooded, fixing pinball games... any odd job I could fake my way through.”

It's been a busy year for King, with both his first solo album, From Hell I Rise, releasing back in May, as well as the unexpected return of Slayer for a small handful of festival dates over the summer. It is uncertain whether Slayer's comeback will continue into next year.

Read more from Kerry King's fan Q+A in the new Metal Hammer, out now.

Poppy on the cover of Metal Hammer

(Image credit: Future (Jen Rosenstein))
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.