Fans worldwide first came to know and love Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a vital part of World Wrestling Entertainment, who then made a smooth transition into films with such hits as "The Mummy Returns" and "The Scorpion King."

The odd thing is, Johnson's first love isn't wrestling or acting, but football. And while the former University of Miami football star and Canadian Football League player's path to the pros was sidelined because of a nagging back injury, destiny led him back to the gridiron as an actor playing football in "The Game Plan." Simply put, the film gave the 35-year-old entertainer the unique opportunity to experience the best of both worlds.

"I love the game of football, and I was fortunate enough to play for 10 years on some great teams with some great players," Johnson said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "But fate is funny, and this is where I feel extraordinarily lucky and grateful to be an actor. Playing at the University of Miami, we all had two goals: graduate and play in the NFL. I did one but didn't do the other."

Needless to say, starring in "The Game Plan" -- which opens Friday in theaters nationwide -- is "like a dream come true" for Johnson.

"I can play a professional quarterback, go to the big championship game and win the heart of a little girl," Johnson said of his "Game Plan" role. "That's when you realize that moviemaking is not only a cool job, but is ironic in many ways."

Johnson stars as Joe Kingman in the film, a self-involved all-star quarterback whose world is turned upside down when the 7-year-old daughter he never knew, Peyton (Madison Pettis) shows up one day on his doorstep and he must learn how to be a parent overnight.

"I think we're always faced with unpredictability that life throws at us, but it's how you deal with them that shapes you," said Johnson, a real-life parent of a young daughter. "What's interesting to me is how to delve into the awkwardness of trying to raise a child. We're wired a lot of times as problem-solvers and fixers. You know how guys are. But with a little 6-year-old girl myself, you realize that it's not so easy. There's not a phone call that Daddy can always make to take care of little things all the time."

In the case of "The Game Plan," Kingman, whose riches extend beyond football thanks to endorsement deals, realizes that there are simply some things that money can't buy for his daughter.

"Here's a guy who has everything that he could possibly want, but there's not enough money in the world that can ease this issue -- that can ease the little problems of tying a French braid, helping her practice ballet, or simply just being there," Johnson said with a laugh. "The situations are certainly complicated which makes for the humor."

While "The Game Plan" keys in on a star player's responsibility to his daughter, Johnson feels that there's a lesson to be learned from Kingman's mistakes on a larger scale. Given the recent events involving behavior of star players outside of the playing arena -- namely suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick -- athletes need to take a step back and realize the large number of people, including kids, that they influence.

"There is an enormous amount of responsibility that goes along with being a quarterback, an NFL player, a teacher, a parent, an actor, an entertainer -- I think we all share that heavy responsibility," Johnson said. "But especially in athletics, it's always great to see players who understand, appreciate and embrace that responsibility."

"I hate to see when things like that don't happen," Johnson added. "There are so many kids that look up to these NFL players, which is why it's so important that they embrace that responsibility because it's non-negotiable. I will give credit where credit is due, though. We have some great NFL players out there who are great role models for a lot of kids all around the world, and some not so much."

The irony is, the responsibility of being a public quarterback was part of the original game plan, so to speak, for the film, which took place long before the Vick debacle.

"For me, the notion of the quarterback character really is all about the face of a team," director Andy Fickman said in a separate interview. "He's supposed to be the face of the team. Think about what 'Broadway Joe' Namath was to the Jets. Nobody wants a lineman to stand up and be it -- it's the quarterback. He's the King Arthur that gets to wield Excalibur. He has all the trappings of fame. He's the one that goes on talk shows. We looked at Joe Kingman as somebody the audience would know and understand."

Part of the responsibility that Johnson has embraced outside of the movie business is a dedication to helping children in need. And as action figure himself many times over, it's only appropriate that one huge component of his charity organization -- The Rock Foundation -- is The Rock's Toy Chest, which provides toys to kids in children's hospitals across the country.

"The Rock Foundation is all about children and enriching their lives," Johnson said, proudly. "We've gone nationwide with our 'Toy Chest' program and we've had these wonderful builders in every city that we've gone to build this giant toy chests for children's hospitals."

At the time of our conversation, Johnson was getting ready to travel to his home base of Florida to unveil the latest toy chest built for the program the Miami Children's Hospital.

"A great builder down there built the Toy Chest and Fisher Price donated thousands and thousands of dollars worth of toys," Johnson said. "What happens then is the kids can go in and open the toy chest -- and it's huge -- so they can go inside. It's literally magical. They can get as many toys as they want, all year long, whatever they want."

And with any luck, the Toy Chest in the next year or two will be able to include action figures of Johnson himself -- merchandise sure to be spawned from his role in Fickman's planned remake of "Escape From Witch Mountain."

Rock on, Dwayne.