VENICE, ITALY – Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are collaborating with director Benny Safdie on The Smashing machine, a biographical drama centered around MMA fighter Mark Kerr, unveiled at the Venice Film Festival. The film marks a significant departure for Johnson,known for his action roles,and offers Blunt a complex portrayal of Kerr’s girlfriend,Dawn Staples.Johnson, reflecting on his career, revealed a desire to explore beyond the roles that initially defined him. “I made those movies, and I liked them. They were fun. Some were really good and did well. And some not so much. But what I did realize is that I had this burning desire, and a voice in my head having mentioned that, What if there is more?” He acknowledged the challenges of breaking free from typecasting, stating it requires support from trusted colleagues. “When your ‘pigeonholed’ as an actor, it becomes increasingly difficult to push yourself artistically. It is indeed only possible to switch directions when ‘people who you love and you respect, like Emily and Benny, say, you can do it.'”
The film focuses on Kerr’s extraordinary fighting career, which included being a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, a World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a Pride FC heavyweight champion, a 1992 NCAA national wrestling champion, a 1994 National Freestyle Champion, and a 4x ADCC World Submission Champion. Kerr’s life was previously chronicled in a 2003 HBO documentary, also titled The Smashing Machine, detailing his career in Vale Tudo, the UFC, and Pride.
Blunt expressed her enthusiasm for portraying Dawn Staples, finding significance in the presence of a female perspective within the brutal world of MMA. “There was a lot going on behind closed doors of what it means to live with a fighter and be with a fighter. the all-consuming world of that,” she explained. Blunt further detailed her readiness, stating, “I got to know Dawn well, and she was very generous with her story, with me, the full weather system of it, the regrets, the eruptions, the hazardous nature of the relationship at times, and the deep, profound love and devotion they had to each other amidst an unfeasible environment.”
The role differed significantly from Blunt’s previous work, which she described as more “curated” in terms of character arcs. The Smashing Machine, she saeid, offered a “full spectrum of what a relationship really looks like.” She also praised Safdie’s directing style, noting, “It was just exciting to be able to work like that with Benny’s visceral way of shooting that was so spontaneous, so it was just like the guardrails came off for us every day.”
The Smashing Machine is produced by Safdie’s Out for the Count, johnson, Dany Garcia, and hiram Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions, along with David Koplan and Eli Bush. The cast also includes Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk. A24 will release the film theatrically on October 3. the Venice Film Festival continues through September 6.
