Dwayne Johnson is opening up about his transformation in the upcoming A24 film The Smashing Machine.
Johnson portrays mixed martial artist and UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the movie, and he wore a wig and put on 30 pounds for the lead role.
“For me, the transformation was 22 prosthetics, over 30 pounds that I had to put on, which is a lot of weight,” Johnson said in an interview on Good Morning America Thursday.
Alongside his physical transformation, Johnson had to flex his acting chops and said he spent a significant amount of time getting to know the real-life Kerr.
“No one can really relate to what it’s like to be the greatest fighter on the planet. At one time, Mark Kerr was the greatest fighter on the planet and undefeated, dominant, and feared. But we can all relate to pressure, what that’s like, and having to deliver day in and day out in relationships and jobs,” said Johnson. “And a lot of us, some don’t deal with pressure that well, and some deal with it decently. But Mark, again, is that reflection of all of us.”
Johnson’s co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s ex-wife Dawn Staples in the movie, called Johnson’s work in the film “astonishing.”
“I just felt he had this reservoir of incredible life experience that could be funneled into a role that demanded all of him,” Blunt said of cheering on her co-star. “And I just thought he was astonishing.”
When The Smashing Machine premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, Johnson teared up while receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
“It’s just incredibly surreal to get this kind of feedback,” Johnson said. “That ovation in Venice, as you see, I’m very emotional. That was special. And this film, The Smashing Machine, and this role and what it represents, it changed my life.”
The Smashing Machine is written, directed, co-produced and edited by Benny Safdie. It arrives in theaters Friday.
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