Dwayne Johnson: Joe Rogan gets brutally honest on why 'The Smashing Machine' was Dwayne Johnson's golden ticket to flaunt his acting chops: "It's a perfect role"

Joe Rogan seems impressed by Dwayne Johnson's performance in 'The Smashing Machine'. The WWE legend takes on the titular role of Mark Kerr, a former two-time heavyweight tournament winner, in the biographical sports drama.

Kerr made an appearance on the recent episode #2384 of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where Rogan made sure to give 'The Rock' his flowers for the performance.

During the segment, the former UFC star admitted that he repeatedly gave Johnson an out, assuring him it was okay if he wanted to step away from the project. However, the fitness icon remained fully committed to the film.

When Rogan asked Kerr, his rationale behind feeling compelled to give Johnson an out, he said:

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"He is at a place in his life where he could just keep doing blockbusters and be perfectly fine with it... But he needed to do something different."

Hearing this, the color commentator pointed out how portraying Kerr on 'The Smashing Machine' was perhaps among the rare few serious movie roles that suited Johnson, given his imposing physique:

"It is a perfect role for him, if you want to do something different, because it's a very complex role and it's about a giant dude, and that's him. So, it's like, really like the perfect way, because otherwise, if you're built like he is, it's very hard to get work as a serious actor. This might be like the only opportunity to show people like, 'Hey, I can actually act.' I think he did it with flying colors."

Check out Joe Rogan and Mark Kerr's comments below (1:59):

Mark Kerr tells Joe Rogan how his son reacted to Dwayne Johnson's performance in 'The Smashing Machine'

Mark Kerr's son was astounded by how accurately Dwayne Johnson portrayed his father in the film.

Speaking to Joe Rogan, the UFC legend recounted how his son was "flipping out" talking to him on the phone, catching a screening of 'The Smashing Machine' in New York:

"He was saying, like literally, 'Dad, dad, he's got your mannerisms. He's got your speech pattern... Oh my god! dad, it's like a doppelganger. He's got all of it'... Hearing my son say, 'Oh my god, he nailed it,' [was] unbelievable. [0:50 minutes into the podcast]"

Earlier this month, 'The Smashing Machine' received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. The movie is set for a theatrical release on Oct.3.

About the author

Ujwal Jain is a sports journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. He has been practicing martial arts from an early age and won several accolades at national-level competitions in karate and Taekwondo. He also holds a back belt in karate. Ujwal loves fact-checking, helping out with related research, and being a fresh set of eyes for fellow writers’ articles.

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