Dwayne Johnson just wants to have lots of friends. In any case, fans could form this thought when looking at his filmography: By far the largest part of his films are blockbusters for the whole family like Red One, action-packed, but not too dark, not too brutal, and often peppered with good-natured jokes for young and old . However, the star will soon play the main role in The Smashing Machine. A film that is the absolute opposite. And is unique in Johnson’s career.
After Red One: Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine tells a true story
The Smashing Machine tells the true story of the Wrestler and martial artist Mark Kerr (Johnson), who rose to become one of the most prominent fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) around the turn of the millennium.
Especially in his early days, he won many disputes, won several championship titles and was considered one of the most successful representatives of his discipline. Thanks to his brutal approach and its imposing figure it was given the name The Smashing Machine. And he suffered from a dark addiction.
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For years, Kerr was addicted to painkillers, which he consumed regularly and in large quantities. In a 2002 HBO documentary, also called Smashing Machine, his addiction, his battle with depression and shown the downward spiral of his marriage. The biopic drama with Dwayne Johnson, which is expected to be released in 2025, is intended to tackle precisely these dark themes. And it gives the star unique opportunities, as he explained in an interview.
Check out the trailer for the HBO documentary The Smashing Machine here:
The Smashing Machine – Trailer (English)
For Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine is a unique challenge
Speaking to GQ, Johnson reveals:
I’ve never been so challenged, how the film gave me the opportunity to challenge myself. […] I feel like I have developed and grown. [Die neue Entwicklung in meiner Karriere] allows me to sink my teeth into something deeper, richer.
Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s wife Dawn in The Smashing Machine and knows Johnson from Jungle Cruise, explains that he wanted to move away from the aura of invulnerability that often attached to his roles. “It tired him to always be the person everyone expects him to be. He has realized that he is not immune to wanting something different.”
The film gives him the opportunity “to disappear into a figure“As Johnson puts it.”As soon as I leave my house, I can no longer hide” he says of his own stardom. “But when a film like The Smashing Machine simply allows me to disappear, I love that.”
And Benny Safdie, the film’s director, also thinks the star is the perfect choice. You understand “the fears, the love, the sadness and happiness“, said the filmmaker. Anyone who can talk about these things like Johnson will play their role brilliantly.”Because he is so strong, not many people have given him this opportunity.”
So will The Rock now become an indie star with introspective character roles, an A24 darling, a method actor? Probably not. But for the first time ever, Johnson seems to not only turn his back on his persona here, but downright reject it. On The Smashing Machine, due out in 2025, In any case, you can be excited.