Dwayne Johnson was scared to play Mike Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine'

Dwayne Johnson was scared to play Mike Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine'

Dwayne Johnson stars in ‘The Smashing Machine.’ (A24) Dwayne Johnson is opening up about his fears in taking on a more dramatic role. The actor plays two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mike Kerr in Benny Safdie‘s upcoming film The Smashing Machine, and he recently told Vanity Fair he was scared to take on the role. “It was very real. I had not experienced that in a very, very, very long time, where I was really scared and thinking, ‘I don’t know …

Dwayne Johnson says 'Smashing Machine' helped him heal

Dwayne Johnson says his upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, helped him work through personal struggles.The film, which hits theaters on October 3, is a biopic about former UFC fighter Mark Kerr and also stars Emily Blunt.In...

Dwayne Johnson’s Deep Fear in Transforming into Mark Kerr: ‘I Was Really Scared And Thinking, Can I Do This?’

Dwayne Johnson, known as The Rock, is stepping into the octagon for his next role, playing UFC pioneer Mark Kerr in A24’s The Smashing Machine. In a revealing Vanity Fair interview, Johnson shared the overwhelming fear and self-doubt he faced while preparing to embody Kerr’s complex life. The film, set to hit theaters on October ...

Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine is a UFC movie about 'radical empathy'

Inner turmoil is something of a Safdie Brothers specialty. In Good Time, they depicted a brotherly relationship bubbling over with anxiety, protectiveness, emotional vulnerability. In Uncut Gems, we saw how Howard Ratner’s reckless bravado masked a gaping void threatening to swallow him whole. And so, while The Smashing Machine is a solo Benny Safdie venture (his brother Josh is behind the upcoming Marty Supreme), there’s still that same DNA the…

The Rock Faces His Fears: Taking On Gritty Role

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known for blockbuster action films and larger-than-life charisma, but his upcoming project, The Smashing Machine, shows a different side of the Hollywood star. In a recent interview, Johnson admitted that part of the reason he hasn’t pursued raw, gritty roles earlier is rooted in fear. “I realized that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff,” he said, offering r…

Dwayne Johnson on Why He Chose to Do The Smashing Machine

Photo Credit: A24 Dwayne Johnson revealed how he landed the leading part in The Smashing Machine, despite the film being vastly different from his fantastical action blockbusters. In a recent interview, the wrestler-turned-actor, known as The Rock, noted that it was fear that kept him from taking on roles with a bit more gravitas than his usual filmography. Dwayne Johnson reveals why he wasn’t getting ‘raw and gritty’ roles before The Smashing M…