Dwayne Johnson says he had “an out-of-body experience” listening to Christopher Nolan praise his performance in The Smashing Machine.
In early October, the legendary director sat down with filmmaker Benny Safdie to discuss the latter’s new sports-drama at a Directors Guild of America screening in Los Angeles. During the event, Nolan described the movie as “incredible”, before claiming it’s unlikely he’ll see “a better performance” than Johnson’s portrayal of real-life MMA fighter Mark Kerr in 2025.
Johnson, it turns out, was in the audience – and was left floored by the Oppenheimer helmer’s kind words. “It was the most inspiring thing anyone has ever said about me,” the actor told Variety recently. “Once it started to sink in, I was having an out-of-body experience. I was sitting next to my wife [singer Lauren Hashian] and I grabbed her hand so hard, and she squeezed my hand back.”
Despite urges from Hashian for him to “actually speak, like a human being,” when he inevitably caught up with Nolan backstage, Johnson said he couldn’t muster much more than a hug. “I just gave him the biggest kiss on the cheek,” he explained. “All I could say was ‘Thank you.’ He said, ‘I meant what I said. You were heartbreaking, and the best performance of the year.’ Then, I gave him another hug.”
Also starring Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine follows Kerr’s journey from amateur wrestler to UFC champ. As much about his life outside of the ring, it explores Kerr’s struggles with painkiller addiction, as well as his tumultuous relationship with his partner, Dawn.
Despite its respectable 70% Rotten Tomatoes score, the film underwhelmed at the box office, pulling in $20.4 million at the global box office.
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