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Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson poses after putting his hands in cement during his hand and footprints ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in celebration of his new movie "San Andreas," in Hollywood, California May 19, 2015. Image Credit: REUTERS

Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gave a shout-out to director Steven Spielberg on Tuesday as he imprinted his hands and feet into the concrete outside the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

The wrestling champion-turned-actor called Spielberg one of his idols and thanked the Oscar-winning director for sending him a congratulatory note “out of the blue”.

“This man who has inspired me over the years, inspired movie-making and created characters that I loved; this man told me: ‘you’re going for it, and just keep going for it,’” he said.

Johnson is set to star in the disaster movie San Andreas, in which he plays a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot who must save his daughter after an earthquake devastates the California coast. The film opens in US cinemas on May 29.

Johnson, 43, has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, thanks in part to his recurring role in the Fast and Furious franchise. The most recent film, Furious 7, has earned more than $1.4 billion (Dh5.1 billion) at the worldwide box office.