By Chris Walters on April 2, 2004 at 12:30 PM EST

NEW YORK (The Associated Press) - As a former wrestler and a movie action star, it's hard to imagine The Rock being rattled by much in life. But he says he was "really antsy" when he had to take on a dramatic scene in his new movie "Walking Tall."

"I wasn't insecure as much as I was really antsy," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

But working with an acting coach apparently paid off, as the cast and crew gave him a standing ovation when his big courtroom scene was over, a response The Rock called "really cool."

Things weren't always so rosy when the pro wrestler-turned-actor also known as Dwayne Johnson first flexed his dramatic muscles, The Rock said, recalling his first TV acting gig back in 1999.

"It's the worst piece of acting you have ever seen. I watched it back like six months ago, and I barely kept my food down. It was that bad."

Regardless of his success at acting or the box office, The Rock said he still holds a special place for wrestling and envisions a return.

"I'd like to go back once or twice a year. I would love that. It's like when other actors — and understandably so — when they go back to theater," he said. "Wrestling has been my theater."

"Walking Tall," which also stars Johnny Knoxville and Ashley Scott, opens Friday.

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