Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson looked totally unrecognizable as he transformed into mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Mark Kerr in the 2025 biographical drama The Smashing Machine, stunning many fans who had no idea who the actor was in a new snap from Benny Safdie’s movie set.
Taking to their official X page (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday (May 21), American independent entertainment company A24 released a photograph of The Rock as the two-time UFC heavyweight champion sitting in a boxing ring surrounded by his cornermen.
A24, in charge of distributing the movie, captioned its post: “First look at Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE starring @TheRock and Emily Blunt.”
Emily plays Dawn Staples, Mark’s girlfriend.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s stunning transformation into MMA legend Mark Kerr left fans astounded
The picture left many completely baffled, as an X user commented: “Damn! Crazy how well they made him look like Mark Kerr!
“This movie is gonna be awesome.
“Mark’s story is incredible and the documentary on him wasn’t enough.”
In 2002, HBO aired a documentary titled The Smashing Machine, directed by John Hyams, which dealt with the athlete’s life and career.
The program chronicled Mark’s addiction to painkillers and the no-holds-barred (NH) aspect of early mixed martial arts competitions.
NHB refers to the initial period of MMA where there were very few rules or restrictions on the techniques and holds that fighters could use.
This style of fighting was characterized by a lack of weight classes, minimal regulations, and often brutal and unrestricted combat.
“Which one is The Rock?” an observer asked.
A new snapshot of Benny Safdie’s 2025 biographical drama The Smashing Machine was released by A24
A person wrote: “Dwayne looks totally different, bro’s finally gonna act.”
Someone else wondered: “You mean to tell me that that’s the rock and not Lou Ferrigno?”
A commentator questioned: “Is it CGI or makeup?”
“Unrecognizable. FINALLY. ‘The Rock’ is bouta tap back into his ‘Pain & Gain’ days. That’s probably his Best Role to date, until this comes out,” a viewer noted.
A user added: “Barely unrecognizable… Where is @TheRock here?”
Another person expressed their shock: “That’s THE ROCK??? Holy sh*t looks unrecognizable.”
The Rock plays the two-time UFC heavyweight champion
A separate individual chimed in: “I actually had to zoom in to make sure that was him because wow… literally unrecognizable!”
The Smashing Machine is director Benny’s first project since “amicably” splitting from working with his older brother, Josh. The siblings were notably known as the “Safdie brothers.”
According to Dwayne, he and Benny first aligned on the project in 2019, when the 52-year-old actor’s Seven Bucks Productions acquired the rights to Mark’s story, Variety reported in January 2024.
As a token of his enthusiasm, the 38-year-old movie maker sent Dwayne a Nautica sweatshirt that the UFC champion wore in the 2002 HBO documentary, as well as a handwritten letter telling the WWE star what he sees in him as an actor.
When the pandemic hit and put everything on hold, Dwayne and Benny were pulled into a slew of other commitments and reportedly fell out of touch.
However, The Rock told Variety he “still thought about The Smashing Machine every day.”
According to Dwayne, he and Benny first aligned on the project in 2019
Years later, Dwayne spoke to his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt while she was off shooting Oppenheimer, in which Benny played Hungarian theoretical physicist Edward Teller.
The professional wrestler sent Emily the HBO documentary and told her that playing the fighter in a feature film is “the thing that really speaks to [him], that [he] want[s] to sink [his] teeth into,” Variety reported.
The 41-year-old actress watched the documentary and, as Dwayne reportedly remembered, called him back immediately, insisting, “You must make this movie.”
“Unbeknownst to me, Christopher Nolan had cast Benny as one of the scientists in Oppenheimer,” The Rock told Variety.
Upon mentioning Dwayne’s name to Benny, Emily reconnected the director to the Samoan actor, and the rest is history.
The Rock told Variety: “Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting.”
The Rock told Variety he “still thought about The Smashing Machine every day” during the pandemic
“I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past.
“I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”
In addition to Dwayne and Emily, the upcoming biographical sports drama will feature professional Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk as Ukrainian NHB MMA champion Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark’s fierce competitor.
The sportsmen famously clashed at the Pride Fighting Championships 7 in 1999, ending controversially in a no-contest due to illegal strikes.
American MMA champion Ryan Bader plays Mark Coleman, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman shared a significant relationship as both friends and training partners, having been pivotal figures in the early days of mixed martial arts.
Principal photography for The Smashing Machine began on May 21, 2024, in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New Mexico, and Tokyo. It is expected to film until August 1 and be released in theaters next year.
“Way to push the boundaries of your limits, Rock!” a reader commented
