The Smashing Machine: "He FINALLY achieved true Cinema, "They smelled what The Rock was cookin" - Fans react to Dwayne Johnson’s tearful ovation for 'The Smashing Machine'

Fans recently reacted to Dwayne Johnson getting teary-eyed after receiving a 15-minute standing ovation for his performance in 'The Smashing Machine' movie at its Venice Film Festival premiere.

In the film, Johnson portrays UFC legend Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt playing the role of the MMA icon's girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Bas Rutten also features in the movie as Kerr's trainer, with ex-Bellator heavyweight Ryan Bader playing Kerr's close friend and fellow UFC legend Mark Coleman.

Ahead of its theatrical release on Oct. 3, the movie was formally launched at the Venice Film Festival, where it received an immensely positive response. After @DiscussingFilm shared a clip of 'The Rock' shedding a tear during an extended standing ovation via an X post, fans flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts.

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One fan wrote:

"'The Rock' realizing he FINALLY achieved true Cinema."

Another fan wrote:

"They smelled what 'The Rock' was cooking."

Check out some more reactions below:

Dwayne Johnson opens up about playing Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine'

Dwayne Johnson recently addressed playing Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine' and admitted that the film allowed him to explore his craft in a different setting.

Johnson is widely considered among the greatest action-movie stars of all time and has delivered some of the highest-grossing films at the box office over the past decade. However, it seems the WWE legend wasn't worried about chasing box-office numbers while filming 'The Smashing Machine' and that allowed him to break out of the 'pigeon-hole' that Hollywood seemingly put him into.

Speaking to the press, Johnson explained his motivation behind taking on the role and said:

"I've been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do this. When you're in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office, and you chase the box office... It can push you into a corner and category, 'This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be, and this is what Hollywood wants you to be.' And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good."

He continued:

"Sometimes it's hard to know what you're capable of when you've been pigeon-holed into something." [H/t: BBC]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.