Dwayne Johnson weighed in on the depth of his new film The Smashing Machine.
Starring as UFC legend Mark Kerr, the Moana actor discussed about the uniqueness of the film.
During its premiere at Los Angeles, Johnson explained to the Deadline that, "Fighting just happened to be what he did(Kerr), and he was awesome at it. But it’s not a fight movie, it’s a life movie."
Set in the late '90s, the film is based on the undefeated MMA rookie, whose streak ended abruptly in 2000, sparking an addiction to painkillers and two overdoses, before mounting a comeback years later.
Johnson added, "Mark Kerr's life represents so much of everyone around the world, but not 'oh, he's the greatest fighter on the planet,' but more so 'oh, he struggled with pressure and how to deal with pressure.'"
Listing his challenges, the Black Adam star shared that Kerr struggled with pain and how to deal with his addiction, "he overdosed twice; he’s lucky to be alive, and I'm so happy that he is alive."
Johnson admitted that there are many bio films where the original muse has already passed away, hence he was delighted to and "thankful" that Kerr is alive to witness the film about him.
While Johnson starred as Kerr, his co-star Emily Blunt played the role of Dawn Staples-Kerr, initially girlfriend and then later Kerr’s wife.
The Smashing Machine was released on October 3.