Actor Dwayne Johnson had a challenging childhood, moving across the country from urban North Carolina to suburban Connecticut during his adolescent years.
A Turbulent Family Life
One constant throughout this time was dysfunction. Over his 26-year acting career, Johnson compartmentalized his pain, focusing on tough-guy roles in various blockbuster films, according to reports from ‘Variety’.
He recounted, “My own mom and dad had an explosive and volcanic relationship. My dad was a pro wrestler at a time when it was the Wild West. There weren’t million-dollar contracts. It was paycheck to paycheck and just trying to survive. And my dad struggled with his addictions and focused on his career and himself, while my mom was at home, raising me.”
He further added, “She had to give up her own dreams and support the man that she loves. All she wanted was to be seen, and she was never seen. And I grew up watching that kind of decline in a relationship when a man battles his own demons. I watched their fights. I heard their fights, which is even worse.”
Facing the Past
In 2017, Johnson found the courage to delve into his past and began pursuing the life rights of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Kerr’s battle with drug addiction hindered his career as a two-time UFC heavyweight champion in the late ’90s.
Johnson shared, “For years, I didn’t know that could actually serve as a landing place for me to be able to put all this trauma you go through into my work. I was probably scared to go there.”
A Career Pinnacle
The outcome is A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’, marking a significant milestone for Johnson. He transforms so completely into a protagonist who is both tough and vulnerable that he becomes almost unrecognizable.
Having transitioned from his wrestling stardom to becoming a movie A-lister, Johnson joins a select group of actors who have achieved powerful performances that defy the typical image. This includes recent actresses like Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson, who have also delivered impactful roles beyond the confines of their appearances.
When Johnson initially proposed the idea of bringing Kerr’s story to the big screen to director Benny Safdie in 2019, Safdie quickly recognized Johnson’s potential. Although Johnson collaborated with both brothers, he noted that ‘Smashing Machine’ was primarily developed as a solo endeavor by Benny.