Dwayne rocks as top secret agent

HE WAS most recently seen in the Disney family comedy hit "The Game Plan," which grossed more than $92 million in the United States and nearly $150 million worldwide. Now, Dwayne Johnson stars as the invincible and impossibly charismatic Agent 23, in Warner Bros.' new action-comedy "Get Smart."

Co-star Steve Carell (who plays the title character Maxwell Smart) always knew that Johnson's sense of humor would shine through as secret US spy agency Control's reigning superstar. Together, they worked on developing and introducing 23 to the "Get Smart" world as Max's mentor and idol.

"The great thing about Dwayne is that he has a tremendous action resume but he is also outrageously funny and has a great warm personality, all of which he brings to the part," states producer Charles Roven. "Agent 23 needs to be not only the epitome of cool, the guy everyone wants to be, but at the same time has to be Max's benevolent big brother in a way, always encouraging him to pursue his dream of becoming an agent."

The best way to describe Agent 23, offers Johnson, is that "He's simply the greatest agent on the planet, the star quarterback, the absolute best at what he does. He loves his work and loves himself and he's not afraid to let people know it.but in a nice way, which only makes him more likeable. He also cares a great deal for his would-be protégé, Max, and always defends him when the office bullies get after him."

Being a former pro wrestler and college athlete, it's a fair assumption that Johnson is one actor who arrived on set camera-ready for his fight scenes as Agent 23. In fact, explains fight coordinator, James Lew, it's generally more difficult for an experienced athlete to dial it down on screen, but Johnson was the exception to that rule. Lew, who worked with him on a 2000 episode of "Star Trek: Voyager," says, "We had almost zero rehearsals for Dwayne. Anything you want to try, anything you need him to do, he can do flawlessly. Plus, he's safe. He knows how to make it look like he just broke your neck, but in fact it was only a harmless slap."

In keeping with Agent 23's super-spy image of virtual indestructibility, Lew's strategy was for Johnson to subdue his physical inferiors-meaning, just about everyone-without breaking a sweat. Whether in fights or in Control training drills, Johnson moves as if encased in invisible armor, casually deflecting blows like brushing lint from his shirt.

After "Get Smart," Johnson stars in the action adventure "Race to Witch Mountain," directed by Andy Fickman, which advances the plot of the 1975 favorite "Escape to Witch Mountain." The film is set to open worldwide on March 2009.