Dwayne Johnson reveals first career choice, and it was not acting or wrestling

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has given his all to portraying legendary UFC fighter Mark Kerr's struggles in The Smashing Machine.

Dwayne has been "waiting" for such a challenging role his entire acting career. 

In the film, Kerr’s professional and personal struggles are both represented, giving the Jumanji star the perfect role to showcase his acting prowess.

"I have been waiting for this opportunity to challenge myself in ways that I'd not been challenged before, to really just rip myself open as an actor," Johnson told Entertainment Weekly.

"What I was able to connect with in Mark is when you want something so badly and you'll do anything to get it, but the thing you want so badly just doesn't happen. That happened for me: I thought I was going to be a professional football player, going to the NFL," he shared.

Elsewhere, he reflected on how people find it hard to empathize with someone with a big physical stature, such as Kerr.

"At one time, he was the greatest, most dominant fighter in that window of time on the planet," the Black Adam star said. "Very rare for people to relate to that, but you can relate to a relationship that's fraught with love, that's painful, that's toxic, that is codependent, and then addiction, and failing, and getting knocked down, and just trying."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is joined by Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples in The Smashing Machine, which will hit theaters on October 3.