Dwayne Johnson's portrayal of Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine' earns high praise from MMA legend co-star 

WWE legend and Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson will make his A24 debut with The Smashing Machine, a true-to-life depiction of the rise and fall of MMA legend Mark Kerr. The upcoming biopic will be directed by Benny Safdie, one half of the duo behind films like Uncut Gems, and is slated to be Johnson's first foray into heavy drama.

Mark Kerr's story is a tragic one, involving the highs and lows of fighting that's further amplified by his addiction to painkillers. Upon the release of the film's trailer, the entertainment world lit up with conversations of Johnson's heartbreaking portrayal of Kerr on screen.

One of Johnson's notable co-stars is MMA legend Bas Rutten, who has played himself in the film. Rutten is a close friend of Kerr and trained with him during his dominant run in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Vale Tudo World Championships, and the UFC. As someone who knew The Smashing Machine, Rutten had valuable insights on how well Dwayne Johnson depicted his friend.

In an interview with Submission Radio on YouTube, Rutten said of Johnson's performance (38:06):

"Dwayne [Johnson] is very impressive. Even when we made [the] photo op, which is when we're in the ring, in the corner with Ryan [Bader] there. [co-star] Emily Blunt sits on the side. It was - this one - that was the very first picture we made. It blew my mind."

He continued:

"The way he looked. The way he acted. The way he would stand. The way he had his hands on his hips. Like, Mark has a special way of standing and of speaking and once Dwayne started doing that, I was really taken back. Yeah, that was that very impressive."

Listen to Bas Rutten here

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Bas Rutten vividly relives real-life incidents while on with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt

One interesting question in the conversation was whether it was hard for Bas Rutten to relive the difficult moments he had with Mark Kerr while in front of the camera with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt (who plays Kerr's ex-wife, Dawn Staples). The MMA legend went on a tangent and described a particular scene where he had to re-enact a real-life friction with Staples regarding Kerr's training.

Rutten said:

"Yeah there's a moment. Yeah, there is a moment when Dawn [Blunt] comes in and she kind of takes him [Kerr] out early of training again. And that was our moment because I remember that for real when it happened. It was just -- it wasn't good."

Dawn Staples' relationship with Mark Kerr has been tumultuous, as evidenced by the 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine, which also served as a basis for the biography. It will all be explored in Dwayne Johnson's upcoming biopic.