Plenty of coming A24 movies have sparked attention this year, but one of the most notable is Benny Safdie’s sports biopic, The Smashing Machine. The October-bound film stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr and tells the story of his career, addictions and relationship with Dawn Staples. For the role, Johnson agreed to dramatically bulking up to better portray the two-time UFC champ. Emily Blunt, who plays Staples, remembers his transformation completely in awe.
Though the film hasn’t had its public debut, the MMA biopic has been garnering a lot of attention. Its first screening was held at The Venice International Film Festival and there Johnson received a 15 minute standing ovation. Critics have agreed with the sentiment, praising the wrestler turned actor’s performance "scarily unstable". Now, in A24’s Official First Look of The Smashing Machine, Blunt recalls the surreal process of her fellow A-lister’s blockbuster appearance vanish:
The physical transformation gave me goosebumps, like jaw’s dropped. To see this person who is never allowed to disappear, completely disappear.
The footage certainly showcases a Mark Kerry-worthy version but I can’t imagine watching The Rock’s bulk up in real time. I’m not surprised the Oppenheimer actress said, “jaw’s dropped” and she got goosebumps then. Since we’ve seen him mostly in big action movies (which consistently deliver) being able to totally transform into a character is a big deal. I just can’t imagine the Jungle Crew alum watching her co-star commit while also navigating portraying Dawn Staples honorably.
Director Benny Safdie also jumped in to talk about why he asked the Jumanji actor to build muscle on top of muscle for the role. He stated the reason was to better reflect Kerr’s physical appearance, and Johnson, after agreeing to it, ran away with it. Safdie shared of the brief but scene-changing conversation:
I had to say to him ‘Can you bulk up for it?’ Which is a crazy thing to ask him, but Mark was a big guy. DJ became a different person.
It’s honestly crazy to think anyone is bigger and more built than the Moana actor. But if you look at pictures from the height of Kerr’s career, his physical and general presence really do look larger than life. Thankfully, the weight aspect of the character whole didn’t distract from his positive experience for Johnson, as it helped him process past struggles both professionally and personally.
I’m glad that the trio of The Smashing Machine peers are through filming and they’re starting to hype the buzzy film. As mentioned, it’ll hit theaters nationwide October 3, but, they won’t have much down time as this flick releases.
All have multiple projects in the works and at least one title slated for the 2026 movie guide. Johnson’s releases include the latest Moana and Jumanji, Blunt has The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the untitled Steven Spielberg flick, while Safdie will be in The Odyssey.
Needless to say, it sounds like ahead of their future gigs, their shared 2025 movie calendar pick will be quite the event. I know when I do go see The Smashing Machine, I’ll certainly have Blunt’s words of Johnson’s incredible physical transformation at the back of my head.