Despite earning his career's first-ever Golden Globe nomination for the biographical film The Smashing Machine, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson failed to bring home the award last night on Jan. 11, 2026. The 2026 Golden Globes took place at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and were hosted by Nikki Glaser.
In a career spanning nearly over two decades, it was the first-time Johnson found himself a part of such an elite and prestigious awards-nomination list, when he shared the stage with Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein), Michael B. Jordan (The Sinners), and Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere).
Wagner Moura is the #GoldenGlobes winner for Best – Motion Picture – Drama for their performance in The Secret Agent! 🎥✨ pic.twitter.com/jONtZja9Yq
— Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) January 12, 2026
However, following an extremely close battle, Wagner Moura stood tall and secured the award for his role in The Secret Agent. Brazilian actor Moura is most popularly known for his role as Pablo Escobar in one of Netflix's most popular shows, Narcos.
Johnson's co-star in Smashing Machine, Emily Blunt, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. However, she also lost the award to Teyana Taylor for her performance in One Battle After Another.
The Rock played former MMA and UFC star Mark Kerr, with Blunt playing his then-girlfriend Dawn Staples. Despite critical praise, the film severely underperformed at the box office, earning a mere $21 million worldwide.
Despite the box-office failure of The Smashing Machine, Johnson is again set to star with Benny Safdie in his next project, Lizard Music. The former WWE star's other upcoming projects include Jumanji 3, Fast X: Part 2, the live-action version of Moana, and an unnamed project with Martin Scorsese.
