One in every of the largest movie stars on the earth recently underwent a change to change into a historic figure from the mixed martial arts world.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has shown an interest in MMA for a while but his upcoming movie ‘The Smashing Machine‘ takes this to latest heights.
To be able to prepare for the roll of former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr, Johnson needed to spend significant time on the mats with a view to accurately portray the character.
The movie also features the likes of Ryan Bader who had nothing but positive things to say about Johnson and the work he put in to make the role more believable from a physical standpoint.
Nonetheless, despite his dedication, many questioned why probably the most successful stars in all of entertainment would put himself through this in the primary place?
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson says he was drawn to ‘The Smashing Machine’ due to the challenge
Whilst he’ll all the time be related to a WWE ring, Dwayne Johnson has found huge success as an actor and he’s change into the type of star that gets projects made all by himself.
‘The Rock’ has largely stuck to eye-catching movies during his time in Hollywood which made it all of the more surprising when he decided to team up with the critically acclaimed A24 and Bennie Safdie.
Long-time fans will already know that Johnson is a combat sports fan which implies the role was all the time going to draw him to some extent but taking up a biopic is a really unique challenge.
Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what drew him to the project now that he has racked up loads of experience starring in big budget blockbusters.
During his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show shortly after WrestleMania 41 took place in Las Vegas, Johnson spoke more in depth about why he desired to take this difficult role that will really push him as an actor.
“I had been wanting for years now to chase the challenge and be inspired by the challenge. I like making the larger blockbuster movies. They’re a number of fun. They’re hard as s— to make, and a number of people enjoy them, hopefully, knock on wood, around the globe. But I wanted more. I wanted a challenge, and I just wanted the chance to vanish into something and disappear into an element and a job that will really challenge me in ways in which I’ve never been challenged before.
“And on top of that, I understand it sounds crazy, but to be nervous. In a way, you’re buzzy. ‘How am I going to do that? I don’t know the way to do that?’ That happened on ‘The Smashing Machine’ with Benny Safdie and A24 and, after all, Emily Blunt.”
What’s Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ about?
‘The Smashing Machine’ is a biopic that’s written and directed by Benny Safdie with a planned release date of October 3 after the timeframe was brought forward by A24.
MMA fighter Mark Kerr was nicknamed ‘The Smashing Machine’ during his profession where he won multiple UFC heavyweight tournaments and competed in PRIDE for several years.
The story of Kerr’s life and profession were previously the topic of a 2002 documentary under the identical name because the upcoming movie where his struggles with substance abuse and the way it was affecting his relationships became a spotlight of the movie.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is about to play Kerr, who’s currently 56-years-old, with the forged also featuring Emily Blunt who was nominated for an Academy Award last yr for her supporting role in Oppenheimer.