Hold onto your popcorn—Dwayne Johnson’s jaw-dropping new look has fans squinting harder than Mercury in retrograde!
Added on April 30, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Can Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s latest transformation be written off as mere muscle flexing, or is this something far deeper—like Mercury retrograde messing with our perceptions and flipping the script on what we think we know about him? At 52, the action titan isn’t just showing up with biceps bigger than your weekend ego; he’s shedding his familiar façade entirely for A24’s gritty new biopic, The Smashing Machine. In the freshly dropped trailer, Johnson morphs into UFC legend Mark Kerr — so convincingly that you might wonder if the planets aligned just right to channel that raw, bruised energy.
Wearing a dark wig coupled with intense facial prosthetics, Dwayne doesn’t just act the part; he becomes Kerr’s mirror image—battered, beaten, yet hauntingly human. It’s a far cry from his usual charismatic self, inviting fans to chew on the tough questions the movie raises about fighting, addiction, and loyalty. Plus, with Emily Blunt by his side as Kerr’s steadfast wife, the emotional stakes shoot through the roof — making us wonder if this duo is about to rewrite the awards season playbook. Will the stars (both celestial and Hollywood) finally align to reward this hard-knock, underdog story? If Mercury’s retrograde is all about second chances, maybe this is Johnson’s renaissance moment.
The buzz is already deafening, with fans swarming over how unrecognizable our beloved Rock has become — some even begging for Oscar nods come 2026. And just when you think you’ve seen it all from him, remember, he’s also gearing up to return as Maui in Moana 2, showing he’s not just flexing muscles but versatility too.
Curious to see the transformation that’s got everyone talking?
LEARN MORE.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is flexing more than just muscles in his latest role because he’s flexing serious acting chops, and fans are shook.
The 52-year-old action superstar has completely transformed for A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” debuting a jaw-dropping new look in the just-released trailer.
In the film, Dwayne Johnson plays real-life UFC legend Mark Kerr, and he clearly did some work to get into character.
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Donning a dark wig and full facial prosthetics, Johnson becomes Kerr’s twin in the gritty biopic, directed by Benny Safdie. When the trailer opens, a bruised and battered Kerr sits in a doctor’s office with swollen eyes.
“Probably looking at my eyes,” he softly says to a woman and her son.
“How did that happen?” she asks.
Cue the ring flashbacks, the brutal beatdowns, and Kerr’s reply, “Well, have you ever heard of the Ultimate Fighting Championship? The UFC?”
“That’s the bloody thing they’re trying to ban,” the woman says, followed by a line that instantly hit viewers in the feels. “Do you hate each other when you fight?”
Kerr’s answers, “Absolutely not.”
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Alongside Johnson, Emily Blunt stars as Kerr’s wife Dawn, who stands by her man as he rises in the sport and falls into addiction. “It’s 40-thousand people cheering you on,” Kerr tells her. “There’s no other high like it in the world.”
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Fans wasted no time flooding social media after A24 and Johnson shared the trailer on Tuesday with the caption, “Excited to share the official trailer for Benny Safdie’s ‘THE SMASHING MACHINE,’ starring Dwayne Johnson and Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt. In theaters October 3rd.”
Reactions? Off. The. Charts.
“Now this is the Actor ROCK we want [red heart emoji] Oscars 2026,” one user declared.
“Whoever did the prosthetics and makeup for this movie is getting an Oscar. I hear the Rock kind of, but I don’t see him at all. Sheesh that’s [fire emoji],” another fan said.
Even real-life ring announcer Ryan Ventura chimed in, writing, “One of the greatest honors of my career was being a part of this project. October 3rd couldn’t come fast enough!”
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Others simply claimed, “This doesn’t even look like him!” and “Wait, that’s The Rock? No way!”
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Johnson took to social media last summer to show off some real-life battle scars he sustained while filming the biographical drama.
“Look at that sucker right there,” he said in the video at the time, poking an injured area on his arm. “It looks like I have a cantaloupe in the bottom of my elbow. I got banged up pretty good today in our scenes. And there might be some soft tissue damage in there. That’s a lot of fluid. We’ll see. I gotta get it out of there first before I get any kind of MRI.”
In the end, The Rock was okay and went on to finish filming the movie.
Fans also gushed over The Rock reuniting with Blunt, who became one of his close friends after they starred together in Disney’s “Jungle Cruise.”
“It’s much different than what we did with ‘Jungle Cruise,’ but I got to tell you there is no greater partner in our industry than Emily who I would want to have to rip this thing open. This is a long time coming, man,” Johnson told Variety. “It’s with A24 and we’ll shoot that next. I can’t wait.”
Still, fans were excited to see the two reunite.
“Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt teaming up again is my favorite collaboration of the year,” one fan shared, while another praised, “Respect to @therock and Emily Blunt. Always giving us amazing stuff.”
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With powerhouse distributor A24 (the same studio behind Oscar darlings “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Moonlight”), “The Smashing Machine” is already being dubbed a major awards season contender.
In addition to “The Smashing Machine,” Johnson is set to reprise his role as Maui, the charismatic demigod, alongside Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, in “Moana 2.”
Set three years after the original, the story follows Moana as she receives a call from her ancestors to journey into uncharted waters to break a curse and reconnect isolated islands.
The film introduces new characters and features music by returning composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, with additional songs by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
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