This year, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might just be the award show darling. Johnson is the star of Benny Safdie’s sports biopic, The Smashing Machine, and he’s getting a lot of recognition for his “scarily unstable” portrayal of MMA star Mark Kerr. It is a new endeavor for the actor, who has been known for headlining blockbusters for most of his career. After the film received rapturous applause at the Venice Film Festival this year, Johnson got emotional in a statement he shared online.
When films are screened for European audiences, the crowds are often very honest and vocal when responding. If an audience doesn’t like a film, they may boo and even walk out of screenings. However, when a feature is received well, audiences are generous with their praise, often resulting in lengthy standing ovations. This was particularly the case with Smashing Machine, which received a 15-minute standing ovation in Venice. Johnson was very emotional in receiving such a reaction and shared his gratitude on Instagram, saying:
