Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson says he had auditioned for the part of the popular character Jack Reacher, which he lost out to actor Tom Cruise.

He made the revelation during a Q&A session on Instagram. Through a seven-minute video, Johnson said he really wanted the role in the 2012 action movie, adding that losing it opened another door for him, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"Business is business and I'm happy (Cruise) got it," he said.

The action star said he was confident about getting the part as he believed his physical attributes were perfect for the character, which has been created by author Lee Child.

"In Hollywood, actors are kind of like in-a-box. There are actors that can vie for a particular role because it allows for them to have a certain look, skin colour, size, etc. Fortunately, for me, there aren't a lot of guys at all who look like me. So, all of my roles, from the beginning of my career, I've been a lucky son of a b***h that they've been created and designed for me -- except Jack Reacher," he said.

At that time, Johnson said that Cruise was "biggest movie star in the world".

"I got the call saying 'Hey, you didn't get the role'. Look, I didn't even know if I had a shot for it, but the people around me at that time made me think that I did. I felt like I did, I felt like 'Why not me?'" he said.

"I'm positive that the role of Jack Reacher, because it was an established character, an IP that was well known and beloved around the world, that I wouldn't have had the creative space to do what I wanted with the character. I look back in gratitude that I didn't get Jack Reacher," he added.

Later, Johnson got a chance to essay the role of Luke Hobbs in the fifth installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise.

"The universe works in funny ways though, as when that door shut on me, another door opened with the opportunity to create a character from scratch that was of my DNA," he said.

Today, Johnson is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, and has iconic films, including "The Mummy Returns", "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island", "Hercules", "Snitch", "Moana", revamped "Jumanji" franchise and "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw", under his belt.