Tej SH
Former professional wrestler turned actor, Dwayne Johnson was brought to tears as ‘The Smashing Machine’ directed by Benny Safdie received a thunderous applause of 15 minutes at the Venice Film Festival. In the movie, “The Rock” portrays famed UFC fighter Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt playing a supporting role.
Johnson has not been considered by many as a prolific actor, yet people remain excited for his performance.This mainly stems from the tremendous change he has gone through in a physical manner. According to media reports, the ‘Moana’ star has lost approximately 60 pounds. This leaves him down to 240 pounds, when he used to be billed at 300 pounds.
In footage from the theater posted on social media by user Ramin Setoodeh, we can see the cast of the film visibly emotional at the enormous support it received. The footage shows Dwayne wiping his tears away while he applauds the crowd which was cheering. Along with him, his co-star, Emily Blunt, the director, Benny Safdie and Mark Kerr himself were overwhelmed by the response the film had gotten.
Ramin Setoodeh, the person who posted this footage, claims that this energy for a performance had not been seen in Venice since Brendan Fraser’s performance for ‘The Whale’ four years ago. This would basically mean that Dwayne Johnson’s Oscar campaign has been soft launched to the masses.
Audiences have already begun to speculate Dwayne’s prospects at the upcoming award seasons. This mainly stems from the fact that Brendan Fraser had gone on to win an Oscar for his performance as the Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The audience are seeing Dwayne Johnson in a much more vulnerable and raw light in his performance rather than the usual macho man charisma which he exudes. This has led to curiosity amongst people, which would encourage people to watch this film.
Earlier in the day, during a press conference, Dwayne acknowledged how the movie had changed him. He states that he began introspecting on whether he was living his dreams or someone else’s dreams. He also mentions how he was afraid to be deep and have intensity and rawness until this performance.