WWE SmackDown star Zelina Vega has opened up on playing former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee in Fighting with My Family, which is a film based on Paige’s life and family.
Florence Pugh played a character that is based on Paige while Tessa Blanchard did her in-ring work during the scene that is based on Paige defeating AJ Lee for the Divas Championship that was filmed at a Monday Night Raw TV event back in February 2017.
While doing an interview with WWE.com, Vega reflected on playing Lee in the film where she noted that it was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who produced the film with his Seven Bucks Production company gave her the role.
“Well, I play AJ Lee, the Divas Champion, and it was something that I really found a connection with her because we both were into video games, we’re both a little bit of some nerds. So, it was really easy to just really submerge myself into her, and become her for that moment,” Vega said.
“Actually I’ve known Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for around 5 years now, and I was going through a period of time where I was trying to get to WWE and it wasn’t easy,” Vega said. “It took me around 8 years to get here. But at a time where I was struggling to become a WWE Superstar and struggling to become an actress, I texted him one day and I was like, ‘I’m at the end of my rope here, what do you suggest I do?”
She would later state, “I would love for you to be involved. So I was like, ‘OK, sweet. I’ll probably just get a little scene in the background and that’d be great.’ And he’s like, ‘No, I want you to be champion. I want you to be my Divas Champion. And you don’t even have to audition for the role, it’s yours. I know you can do it.’”
You can listen to the entire interview by clicking on the player below:
H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript
