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 a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Johnson, 53, admitted he was nervous to take on the role. “I haven’t filmed a dramatic role in a very, very long time,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t explore these roles before because I was too scared.”

Johnson explained that playing Kerr forced him to confront experiences he had never explored on camera or in therapy. “It was scary, but also nourishing and freeing. I ripped it open,” he told the outlet.

He first saw the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr in the mid-2000s. Inspired, he later contacted director Benny Safdie after seeing Safdie’s 2019 movie Uncut Gems. Safdie said the project “was something I couldn’t shake” and worked it into his schedule after filming Oppenheimer in 2023.

The film reunites Johnson with his Jungle Cruise co-star and close friend Emily Blunt. Johnson portrays Kerr, while Blunt plays his girlfriend at the time, Dawn Staples.