The Rock reveals what drew him to ‘The Smashing Machine’

Dwayne Johnson was ready for something different.

Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock in professional wrestling, is one of the biggest stars on the planet. A pivotal figure in both past and present WWE, The Rock is also one of the most bankable movie stars in the world, with his films grossing over $12.5 billion worldwide. But Johnson’s next film is a much smaller affair, one that touches close to home for MMA fans.

In October, Johnson’s new movie, The Smashing Machine will be released, showing the life of two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner Mark Kerr. The film is from acclaimed director Benny Safdie and will be released by the independent film company A24, which produced 2022 Academy Award winning Everything Everywhere All at Once among a litany of other critical darlings. It’s a big departure for Johnson, who told Pat McAfee on Tuesday that’s what drew him to the project.

“I had been wanting for years now to chase the challenge and be inspired by the challenge,” Johnson said. “I love making the bigger blockbuster movies. They’re a lot of fun. They’re hard as shit to make, and a lot of people enjoy them, hopefully, knock on wood, around the world. But I wanted more. I wanted a challenge, and I just wanted the opportunity to disappear into something and disappear into a part and a role that would really challenge me in ways that I’ve never been challenged before.

“And on top of that, I know it sounds crazy, but to be nervous. In a way, you’re buzzy. ‘How am I going to do this? I don’t know how to do this?’ That happened on The Smashing Machine with Benny Safdie and A24 and, of course, Emily Blount.”

The film is based on The Smashing Machine documentary detailing Kerr’s rise to the top of the MMA world and precipitous fall and subsequent battle with addiction. The film also stars former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, who plays UFC Hall of Famer and Kerr’s friend Mark Coleman, along with several other notable combat sports figures, including heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk playing Russian fighter Igor Vovchanchyn, Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue, James Moontasri as Akira Shoji, Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans and former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten playing himself.