There was a ton of buzz surrounding Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, within the lead-up to its debut on the 2025 film schedule. The overwhelming majority of that issues Dwayne Johnson, who needed to go to nice lengths to drag off his “jaw-dropping” transformation to play the trailblazing UFC and PRIDE fighter Mark Kerr.
Forward of The Smashing Machine’s October launch, the wrestler-turned-actor sat down for a chat with CinemaBlend, the place he mentioned a number of elements of the upcoming A24 film, together with his these tree trunk legs which were taking the world by storm. When requested about bulking as much as new ranges for the “scarily unstable” efficiency, Johnson recalled an early dialog along with his director about placing on weight and muscle:
I simply felt like a very powerful factor that I might do was to placed on the burden that was required. And in addition, I understood in a short time that it isn’t simply placing on muscle or dimension, it is placing on a sure high quality of muscle. That form of muscle could be very fast-twitch, and there is separation. And it is only a lot occurring as a result of Mark’s physique was insane. And so I talked to Benny early, and he stated, ‘You understand, I do not know if you happen to’ve ever been requested this earlier than, however I believe you should acquire extra weight.’
The thought of Dwayne Johnson, often known as The Rock within the wrestling world, being informed he wanted to achieve extra weight is straight up wild to listen to. Whether or not it’s exhibiting up because the “Ultimate Boss” in WWE, constructing a statuesque physique for his Black Adam position, or gearing up for the Quick & Livid films, Johnson has been and extremely match actor for a really very long time. Nobody would use the phrase “small” to explain him (although he has extra lately slimmed down after the making of the film).
Nevertheless, because the shocking Oscar hopeful went on to say within the dialog, he felt it was essential to rework himself to greatest painting Kerr on this gritty and emotional chronicle of the MMA fighter’s profession, addictions, and private relationships:
In order that was the one factor for me that I actually wished to guarantee that I regarded the half that I used to be capable of remodel bodily, vocally, too as nicely. And I felt assured that I might transfer round in a hoop as a result of I felt like I had that generalship already of it.
Based mostly on all the pieces we’ve seen and heard from the film within the months and weeks resulting in its launch, Johnson undoubtedly seems the half in The Smashing Machine, and looking out him side-by-side with the actual Mark Kerr is sort of a visit. Nevertheless, will probably be fascinating to see how Johnson seems on the planet of MMA, contemplating his in-ring wrestling model was far completely different from what was happening in PRIDE and UFC matches within the ‘90s and early 2000s.
The Smashing Machine opens nationwide (together with showings in IMAX) on October 3. Nevertheless, the highly-anticipated sports activities biopic is only one of The Rock’s upcoming films, because the megastar has a number of high-profile initiatives within the works, together with one other collaboration with Benny Safdie referred to as Lizard Music.