Dwayne Johnson Talks About Breaking Free From Typecasting With THE SMASHING MACHINE
Dwayne Johnson has built his career on larger-than-life action heroes, but his latest project might be his most daring move yet. In Benny Safdie’s upcoming A24 wrestling biopic The Smashing Machine, Johnson steps into the role of UFC champion Mark Kerr, a complex figure whose life in and out of the ring was shaped by triumph, addiction, and personal struggle.
At the Venice Film Festival press conference, Johnson opened up about why this role is unlike anything he’s done before.
“I have, for a long time, wanted this,” Johnson said, sitting alongside director Safdie and co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn Staples.
“The three of us have talked for a very long time about, when you’re in Hollywood — as we all know, it had become about box office. And you chase the box office, and the box office can be very loud and it can become very resounding and it can push you into a category and into a corner. This is your lane and this is what you do and this is what Hollywood wants you to do.”
Johnson is best known for blockbusters like Jumanji, Fast and Furious, Black Adam, and the upcoming Red One. While he admitted he’s enjoyed making those films, he confessed he’s been hungry for something deeper.
“I just had this burning desire and voice that was saying, ‘What if there is more and what if I can?’ A lot of times, it’s harder for us — or at least for me — to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeonholed into something. Sometimes it takes people that who you love and respect, like Emily and Benny, to say that you can.”
The actor reflected on hitting a turning point in his career: “I looked around a few years ago and I started to think, you know, am I living my dream or am I living other people’s dreams?
“You come to that recognition and I think you can either fall in line — ‘Well, it’s status quo, things are good, I don’t want to rock the boat’ — or go, I want to live my dreams now and do what I wanna do and tap into the stuff that I want to tap into and have a place finally to put all this stuff that I’ve experienced in the past that I’ve shied away from. I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity.”
The Smashing Machine doesn’t just spotlight Kerr’s dominance in the ring. The film also dives into his battle with painkiller addiction and his complicated relationship with Dawn Staples. Johnson underwent heavy prosthetics to embody the UFC champion, who was even present at the press conference.
“Mark’s life has changed our lives and certainly changed my life as well,” Johnson said. “As we found with the film, it’s not about the wins or the losses … it’s also a film about what happens when winning becomes the enemy. And I think we can all relate to that pressure.”
Johnson revealed that he grew very close to Kerr during filming, while Blunt also spent time with Staples to authentically capture her role. “I got to know Dawn well and she was very generous with her story with me,” Blunt said, praising the couple’s “deep profound love and devotion they had to each other amidst an impossible environment.”
Blunt also admitted watching Johnson transform into Kerr was a surreal experience: “It was one of the most extraordinary things watching him disappear completely,” she said. Johnson in turn called Blunt his “best friend,” saying, “From the time we worked on Jungle Cruise together, she really encouraged me and said there’s a place you can put all the stuff you’ve gone through as a kid … and that place is what you love to do, which is acting.”
Safdie, known for Uncut Gems and Good Time with his brother Josh, makes his solo directorial debut here. While he has long been fascinated by the fight world, Safdie explained that the story’s emotional core was what mattered most.
“It’s a very emotional moment that he’s going through,” Safdie said of Kerr’s struggles. “There’s a relief; that pressure is gone. And I love that. You know, these things are OK — it’s OK to talk about your pain and it’s OK to feel somebody else’s feelings.”
The Smashing Machine promises to be a raw, emotional showcase not only for Kerr’s story but for Johnson as an actor redefining his career. The film hits theaters from A24 on October 3.
Vis: Deadline