Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is shaking off his comfort zone and stepping into a completely new era of acting.
Best known for blockbusters like Jumanji, Moana, Black Adam and the Fast & Furious franchise, Johnson has made a career out of playing larger-than-life characters that often feel like extensions of himself. But his latest project flips that script entirely.
In The Smashing Machine (due to hit cinemas on October 3) Johnson takes on the role of former wrestler and MMA legend Mark Kerr. And the transformation is so extreme, some fans say he’s almost unrecognizable.
The Rock gains 30 pounds and dons prosthetics for role
Far from just stepping into the gym, Johnson underwent a complete overhaul for the role.
To embody Kerr, Johnson wore prosthetics that altered his face and physique, but the changes went much deeper than the makeup chair. Director Benny Safdie (of Uncut Gems and Oppenheimer fame) asked Johnson to gain 30 pounds to better match Kerr’s “puffier” build.
Safdie told UNILAD: “I was like, how do I ask Dwayne to get bigger? There’s a quality to Mark’s muscles that are just like, puffier. That’s not easy muscle to put on… that’s really difficult to do.”
The director went on to describe Johnson’s transformation as nothing short of “insane.”
Johnson’s new project pushes him to extremes
And Johnson isn’t stopping there.
He’s already prepping for another Safdie-directed project titled Lizard Music, based on Daniel Pinkwater’s novel. This time, the WWE icon-turned-Hollywood star is shedding serious weight to play a 70-year-old man.
The choice has left some fans concerned, but Johnson insists it’s all part of his mission to fully “disappear” into his roles rather than rely on CGI or shortcuts.
Speaking about his dramatic weight changes, Johnson explained: “I gained 30 pounds to play Mark Kerr and then came back down after that to my normal weight of 250 or so. I’m in the process of slimming down now where I play a 70-year-old man, so the slimming down is happening.”
“It’s about breaking out of expectation”
For Johnson, this transformation era is less about shock value and more about growth.
“I felt like I was ready to just break out and rip and tear it all away of any expectation or infrastructure,” he told UNILAD. “I had this little voice behind my rib cage saying, ‘Hey, you can do more. There is more.’”
Calling it an opportunity to “completely immerse myself and disappear,” Johnson says these roles are allowing him to explore a side of his craft fans have never truly seen before.
With The Smashing Machine and Lizard Music lined up, it looks like The Rock is ready to prove he’s more than just Hollywood’s go-to action hero; he’s an actor willing to reshape himself entirely.