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Dwayne Johnson stepped onto a different stage at this year's Venice Film Festival, unveiling his latest film The Smashing Machine. The project, directed by Benny Safdie and produced by A24, marks Johnson's most serious role to date as it chronicles the life of former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr.
At a packed press conference on Sept. 1, Johnson grew visibly emotional while reflecting on his career and the challenges of taking on such a demanding role. "I looked around a few years ago and I started to think... am I living my dream or am I living other people's dreams?" he said. "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."
Johnson underwent a major physical transformation to portray Kerr, spending hours in prosthetics and makeup daily. "This transformation was something I was really hungry to do," he explained. "I had been very fortunate to have the career that I've had over the years and to make the films that I've made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, 'Well, what if I could do more, I want to do more and what does that look like?'"
Johnson described it as more than a sports drama: "Mark was the greatest fighter in the world at one point, but this film is not even really about fighting, it's a love story. It's a love story about Mark and Dawn in this relationship, and it's a love story about Mark and the love that he had for the thing that he did, his struggle with trying to deliver [in the ring], his challenges and his overcoming."
Blunt, who Johnson called his "best friend," praised his transformation, saying it was "spooky" to watch him disappear into the role. Johnson credited her encouragement for helping him push beyond Hollywood's typecasting. "Sometimes it takes people who you love and respect, like Emily and Benny, to say you can."
As the real Mark Kerr sat in the audience, Johnson addressed him directly with tears in his eyes: "I love you, brother."
The Smashing Machine opens in U.S. theatreson Oct. 3.
