Rob Gronkowski could have a successful career in Hollywood ahead of him, but it probably won't be on the big screen.
In an interview with me last night on WEEI, Boston-based entertainment reporter Megan Johnson, whose work appears in People Magazine, said she thinks it's far-fetched to believe Gronkowski is going to morph into the next Dwayne Johnson or John Cena. Instead, she expects the fun-loving tight end to stick to national ad campaigns and cameo appearances, which is where he thrives.
"I don't think he's going to be in films performing monologues any day soon. I don't think that at all," she said. "However, we have seen a large amount of people who have that successful trajectory from sports to acting. Do I think he's going to be the next John Cena? No. Just from my own experience interviewing Rob Gronkowski and interviewing John Cena, if he wanted to pursue a significant acting career, he would have to put a lot of time and energy into it. I think his real future is probably in the endorsements and entrepreneurship realm. But I definitely think we'll continue to see him pop up."
Gronkowski is slated to be in two movies later this year: a low-budget comedy called "Deported" and a sci-fi action thriller starring Mel Gibson, "Boss Level." In that film, Gronk plays a helicopter gunner.
But most Americans are probably more familiar with Gronk's work as one of the leading spokesmen for Tide Pods and appearances on reality game shows, such as Family Feud. Johnson says she thinks that's Gronkowski's sweet spot, and could result in a lucrative second career.
In addition, she projects he will continue to work closely with his family, pushing products that bear the Gronk name.
"His cameo game is going to be strong. He's going to be continuing to reel in the endorsement deals –– perfect things for him are his Tide Pod deal," she said. "He can make lots of money and that's a fun and easy acting job. … He could absolutely make a second career out of it. Obviously, I think his future is in entrepreneurship and working with his family, primarily, because we know that family knows business, they're savvy, they're good with money. They have a lot fo different businesses under their belt –– the Gronk Fitness thing, the ice shaker, and they're running the Gronk Nation empire. They know what they're doing. I assume that will be his main focus, in addition to acting cameos, making speeches, that sort of thing."
