When Dwayne Johnson really puts a special effort into a challenging performance, he reveals himself as a legitimately talented actor. While it can be said that he has spent the majority of his career playing vaguely similar versions of the same character, for the first time in a long time, audiences got the chance to see that talent shine through last fall with the release of The Smashing Machine. While that didn’t result in Johnson landing a 2026 Oscar nomination, he has earned great respect from his peers – including fellow A-lister Matt Damon.
Johnson and Damon have not yet had the chance to make a movie together, but the two men got the chance to chat together in recent months, and the latter walked away from the conversation immensely impressed. During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience (shared via Johnson’s Instagram), the Martian star recalled discussing a particular scene in The Smashing Machine and asking how his fellow thespian prepared, and he was extremely impressed by his answer. Said Damon,
