Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson spills on the 'Hobbs & Shaw' premiere drama: 'It was so surreal'

Things got hairy at "The Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" premiere Saturday, where inside Hollywood's Dolby Theatre the drama and the pyrotechnics took place offscreen.

About 30 minutes into the celebrity-packed premiere, sparks literally flew in the auditorium's row J, only a few feet in front of stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, causing increasing alarm bordering on panic.

The Rock, who was subsequently feted as a "real-life hero" by Fox News and as the star who "saved the day" by Vanity Fair, tells USA TODAY, "It was just surreal."

He was sitting next to his girlfriend Lauren Hashian and mother Ata, when he noticed the increasingly tense and bizarre scene as audience members began making an urgent exit and the film halted. 

"Everyone just sort of stood up so calmly, quietly and walked out. It was eerie," says Johnson.

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His security detail told Johnson it was time to leave.   

"They don’t know what it is, but it's like 'We’re going to get out of here, right now.' Their Spidey-senses went right up," says Johnson. "I grabbed Lauren. Lauren grabbed my mom and we were getting out of there. But as we’re leaving I noticed, no one is panicking. So I just stopped and was like 'Hold on, hold on.' "

He checked out the scene from a far aisle until fire officials determined that the sparks and smoke were a reaction to a patron's water being spilled into an electrical box on the floor. There was a brief delay before the fire department ruled the premiere could continue. That's when The Rock kicked in to high gear.

"The moment we come back on, I said, give me a mic, give me a spotlight and get me on the stage," said Johnson. From the stage, he added to his growing Rock lore by convincing freaked out people — some of whom had bolted from the theater — to come back and watch the rest of the film.

"I'm staying, we're all staying," said Johnson from the stage. Then, riffing off of the smoke odor, he added, "I do smell what the Rock is cooking, yes."

He did give a burn to his co-star Statham who he joked "bolted like a cheetah" as things began to go "sideways" in the theater.

"Jason Statham ran his (butt) out so fast" Johnson added from the stage as the crowd roared. "Only kidding. (Pause) I did stay, he ran... Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the rest of 'Hobbs and Shaw.'"