A personal trainer has claimed that he is constantly stopped — and once “mobbed” — by people due to the fact that he looks “just like” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Bald and brawny Antonio Muratore, 54, said that he is detained on a daily doppelgänger basis by fans asking if they can snap a quick selfie.
“It’s an incredible situation to look like him,” said the Italy-born-and-raised gym guru. “In general, I’m quite a private person, and I don’t like a lot of attention — but I never tire of this because it makes people happy.”
According to Muratore, it was a pal who first noticed the shocking similarity nearly a decade ago.
“It was about 10 years ago when a friend first told me I looked like The Rock,” Muratore told Jam Press. “Over the years, people started to stop and ask me for pictures wherever I would go. It’s been at a hotel, in restaurants, on the beach — it happens continuously.
“Once someone followed me down the road for 15 minutes. That was a bit stressful.”
However, Muratore said it’s worth all the hassle — because he considers it an honor to be the 50-year-old “Fast & Furious” franchise legend’s look-alike.
“I feel very lucky to look like him because he is a great person, a champion in sport and in life,” said Muratore.
The personal trainer revealed that people ask for pictures due to the fact that he looks like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.WireImage
He recalled one time that he went to a film starring the beloved “Moana” actor and was mobbed by audience members.
“At the end of the movie, everyone went out and just a few kids left,” said Muratore. “When the light went on, the kids saw me and started to scream, ‘The Rock! The Rock!’ “
“Everyone ran back into the cinema for a picture. It was a crazy situation.”
To increase the likeness between the two, Muratore has endured several matching tattoos and hopes that the effort will land him a spot as Johnson’s body double.
The effort allegedly almost paid off.
According to the part-time actor, he was cast as Johnson’s body double in a film but sadly never met the actor due to the movie being shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Muratore said that most of the time people swarm him when he’s on the beach.
To increase the likeness between the two, Muratore has endured several matching tattoos and hopes that the effort will land him a spot as Johnson’s body double.Antonio Muratore / SWNS
“When I am on the beach and people see my tattoos, everyone stops me and wants a picture,” said Muratore. “It happens continuously. I get treated like a celebrity all the way through summer.”
Muratore admitted that he sometimes does tell people that he isn’t the “Black Adam” star.
“I stand and pose for pictures all the time, I’m always happy to stop and take a picture,” said Muratore. “Sometimes, even when they find out I’m not really him, they want a picture anyway, and that’s fine by me.”
Muratore said that most of the time people swarm him when he’s on the beach.Antonio Muratore / SWNS
Muratore said that being mistaken for the actor brings him so much joy, even on bad days.
Muratore, who does Thai boxing, said that he would love to challenge the former wrestler to a match and thinks he might be able to win.
All in all, Muratore would just like to say “you’re welcome” to his fans.
“When people call me as his name and recognize me as his double, I feel happy I look like somebody great,” said Muratore. “When I’m feeling bad, just when someone says, ‘Hey look, it’s The Rock’ — and I am happy again.”
Muratore isn’t the only body double for the “Jumanji” actor.
Eric Fields, a patrol officer for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama, has also gone viral for his likeness to the screen superstar.
“I’ve been called The Rock and Vin Diesel’s love child,” Fields, 37, told his local news outlet in 2020. “I go along with it. It’s humorous. It’s flattering. It could be worse people, I guess.”
The Rock was even impressed: “Oh S – – t! Wow,” Johnson responded to the news on Twitter, saying that Fields looked “way cooler.”
