Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has surprised everyone by stepping out with a noticeably leaner look. It’s a big change for the action star, and it’s all for his latest film.
“This transformation was something I really wanted to do,” Johnson, 53, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was chatting with reporters at the Venice Film Festival 2025 on Monday, September 1. The former WWE superstar is playing Mark Kerr, a legendary two-time UFC heavyweight champion and an MMA icon, in a movie called ‘The Smashing Machine’. To truly get into character, Johnson had to shed a lot of his famous muscle.
Johnson shared that even with a successful career full of action movies, a quiet voice inside him kept asking, “What if I could do more? I want to do more, and what would that look like?” This role gave him the chance to answer that question, marking his first major dramatic part.
The results of his hard work were clear on Saturday, August 30. Johnson appeared at the Miu Miu Women’s Tales event, also part of the Venice Film Festival, just before his new film’s debut. He sported a blue silk, short-sleeve, button-down shirt decorated with colorful patterns. It showed off his trimmed figure, paired simply with straight black pants.
Fans quickly jumped online to talk about Johnson’s new look. “Yeah, I had to look twice,” one fan wrote on X. Another social media user commented, “The Smashing Machine is really raising the bar. An unrecognizable Dwayne Johnson looks to deliver the performance of his career.” People are definitely buzzing.
Actors Who Go the Extra Mile
Johnson isn’t alone in changing his body for a role. Many actors have pushed their physical limits to embody characters.
Take Joaquin Phoenix, for example. He reportedly lost 23 kilograms (about 50.7 pounds) for his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck in the 2020 film ‘Joker’. When preparing for the 2024 sequel, ‘Folie à Deux’, Phoenix, now 50, kept quiet about his diet. He did mention the added challenge this time around. “I’m not going to get into details about the diet, because I don’t think anyone wants to hear that,” Phoenix said at the time. “But this time, it was a little more complicated because we had a lot of dance rehearsal, something I didn’t have last time. So it was a little harder, but it’s safe. You’re right, I’m 49 now, I probably shouldn’t do this again. It’s probably my limit.”
Orlando Bloom recently opened up about his experience. He lost around 24 kilograms (about 53 pounds) to play a boxer in ‘The Cut’. The journey took a toll on him mentally. “I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was starving,” Bloom remembered during an August 27 episode of the British show This Morning. He added, “I was horrible to be around. The paranoia, the intrusive thoughts.”
Christian Bale, Jared Leto, and Matthew McConaughey are also well-known for their dramatic weight loss for movie roles. Of course, many actresses have faced similar pressures for years, often to fit Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage
A Shot at an Oscar?
Like many of his co-workers who’ve slimmed down for parts, Johnson’s performance in ‘The Smashing Machine’ is already creating Oscar buzz. In the film, he portrays Kerr’s rise to fame in the 1990s MMA world. The story also covers Kerr’s struggle with painkiller addiction. Emily Blunt stars alongside Johnson as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife.
Johnson grew visibly emotional when discussing the film. “Mark was the best fighter in the world at his time, but this movie isn’t even about fighting; it’s a love story,” he said on Monday. “It’s a love story about Mark and Dawn in their relationship, and it’s a love story about Mark and the passion he had for what he did: his fight to perform [in the ring], his challenges, and overcoming them. As you know, Mark suffered two overdoses and is lucky to be alive, and that’s part of what makes this story so special.”