‘I Don’t Know If You’ve Ever Been Asked This Before, But I Think You Need To Gain More Weight’: Dwayne Johnson On The Major Transformation He Made For The Smashing Machine

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There’s been a lot of excitement building for Benny Safdie’s upcoming film, The Smashing Machine, which is set to release in 2025. Much of the attention focuses on Dwayne Johnson and his impressive physical transformation to portray the pioneering UFC and PRIDE fighter, Mark Kerr.

Before the release of his movie, *The Smashing Machine*, the wrestler-turned-actor spoke with TopMob about the film. He discussed several things, including the attention he’s been getting for his incredibly muscular legs. When asked how he got so big for what he described as a challenging role, Johnson remembered a conversation with the director about gaining weight and building muscle.

My main goal was to gain the necessary weight, but I quickly realized it wasn’t just about getting bigger. It was about building a specific type of muscle – fast-twitch muscle with good definition. Mark had an incredible physique, and I needed to match that. I spoke with Benny early on, and he pointed out that I probably needed to gain even more weight than I’d initially planned.

As a movie fan, it totally blows my mind to hear that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was *told* he needed to gain weight! Seriously? The guy has been a physical powerhouse forever – whether he’s playing the ultimate villain in WWE, getting ripped for *Black Adam*, or revving engines in the *Fast & Furious* films. No one ever thought of him as anything less than huge, although he *has* gotten leaner recently after filming. It’s just wild to think about!

During the conversation, the surprising Oscar contender explained that he believed it was crucial to fully embody Kerr for this raw and moving depiction of the MMA fighter’s life, struggles with addiction, and relationships.

I really wanted to convincingly portray the character, both physically and through my voice. I was confident in my ability to move well in the ring because I already felt like I understood the strategy and control needed.

As a huge movie fan, I’ve been following everything about *The Smashing Machine*, and honestly, Luke Rockhold really *looks* like Mark Kerr – it’s uncanny! But I’m really curious to see how they portray the actual MMA world. Rockhold’s background is in wrestling, which is a totally different beast than the early PRIDE and UFC fights, so it’ll be interesting to see how that translates on screen.

The new sports movie, *The Smashing Machine*, will be released in theaters everywhere – including IMAX – on October 3rd. But that’s not all from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – he also has several other exciting projects coming up, including a new film called *Lizard Music* directed by Benny Safdie.

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2025-09-23 00:58