There is something to be said about taking risks, especially decades into your career, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did playing Mark Kerr in the new biopic about the MMA legend from Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine.
Speaking to ClutchPoints alongside Safdie and his co-star, Emily Blunt, Johnson broke down his career-defining role in The Smashing Machine. He transformed into Kerr for the role right after playing another one of his signature roles, playing the “Final Boss” in WWE.
“I had to put on a lot of weight, [undergo a] vocal transformation, physical transformation, et cetera,” Johnson explained. “I feel like there's life before Smashing Machine, and then there's life after Smashing Machine for me.”
He called becoming Kerr a “life-changing” experience. It's clear that the role means everything to Johnson, who is hoping to nab his first Oscar nomination for the performance.
While Kerr was a rising MMA star, Johnson was cutting his teeth in WWE. Johnson's life was “changed” by Kerr's, and playing this part will change how he approaches work in the future.
“Mark Kerr's life changed mine,” Johnson conceded, “but also, everything that's included in this [filmmaking] process has completely changed my life and how I view what I do, when I do it, how I do it, and the things that I can apply now because I was able to access places emotionally that I didn't want to access in the past.
“It was scary, and I did it,” he continued.
No safety net in sight for Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie making The Smashing Machine
Johnson knew the stakes. He has never taken on such a dramatic role before, but he was willing to try and put all of his energy into bringing this story to life.
“I was like, Okay, if I fail and fall flat on my face, I'm going out swinging,” he said, chuckling.
Safdie corroborated what Johnson said. He emphasized that despite the big risk they all took, there was no safety net. And yet, they rallied around each other.
“We were gonna do it all together,” Safdie said. “We didn't have a net, which was kind of great,” Safdie said.
The Smashing Machine follows the rise and fall of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), as written and directed by Benny Safdie. Johnson reunites with his Jungle Cruise co-star, Blunt, in the movie. Blunt plays Kerr's then-wife, Dawn Staples.
It premiered at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025. A24 will then distribute it in theaters on October 3.
The Smashing Machine will be released on October 3.
