How The Rock transformed his body -- and mind -- into Mark Kerr

SITTING IN A Beverly Hills edifice country during 1 of aggregate media junkets, Dwayne Johnson spent astir 3 minutes explaining however helium morphed his caput and assemblage into Mark Kerr for "The Smashing Machine" erstwhile helium turned to the MMA pioneer and asked: "How did I do, by the way?"

Kerr opted for an anecdote. His son, Bryce, saw the movie successful New York a mates of months ago. He instantly called Kerr afterward and began whispering his thoughts, astir acrophobic to admit what helium had seen.

"'Dad, helium walks similar you. He looks similar you. He talks similar you.' It was conscionable [this] full communicative of the confirmation of his translation into idiosyncratic different than Dwayne Johnson," Kerr told ESPN and different reporters during a media roundtable past month. "It was this, you know, validation of a 3rd enactment going, 'Oh my gosh, he's similar Dad.'"

His lad went adjacent further, telling Kerr: "Dad, he's adjacent got your heart."

"Wow, man," Johnson replied. "That's beautiful."

The infinitesimal moved Kerr to tears connected the phone.

Becoming Mark Kerr, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound erstwhile NCAA collegiate wrestling champion turned MMA fighter, included a process dissimilar immoderate different during Johnson's acting career. A engaged commencement to 2024 with his archetypal WWE lucifer successful 11 years bled into a grueling month-long campy for "The Smashing Machine," an A24 accumulation that releases connected Friday.

Each time connected acceptable required constitution that took 3 to 4 hours to implicit and 21 prosthetics, courtesy of Academy Award victor Kazu Hiro, to marque Johnson look similar Kerr. Johnson worked with a dependable manager to crook his code into that of Kerr's, a soft, tender voice.

The effect has been a show that critics person lauded arsenic 1 of Johnson's best, who looks astir unrecognizable connected the large screen.

"I've ne'er worked harder, and we similar hard work, it's what we each similar to do," Johnson told ESPN during the roundtable. "But man, I had ne'er worked harder for a role."

THE FILM COVERS a akin clip play arsenic the 2002 documentary astir Kerr called "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr." Director Benny Safdie said helium had a heavy emotion and respect for the documentary, wanting his movie to beryllium successful nonstop speech with it.

While Safdie looked to constitute his ain emotion missive to the archetypal work, Johnson had his eyes acceptable connected thing else.

He met Kerr astir 1997 erstwhile the wrestler began ascending, and Johnson's vocation arsenic the Rocky Maivia quality struggled to instrumentality disconnected successful the past World Wrestling Federation. During the precocious 1990s, Johnson and Kerr witnessed a abrupt uptick successful deaths of MMA fighters and pro wrestlers from pills and drugs. Both of them knew friends who suffered a akin fate.

"My thought aboriginal was conscionable this antheral [Mark] and Benny, your vision, you'll sprout the movie however you privation to and I know, I consciousness it's going to beryllium special. ... But it was truly conscionable astir Mark," Johnson said. "And I conscionable wanted to constitute my ain emotion missive to the men who were my friends that I lost. And to [Mark's] arsenic well."

Johnson is simply a upland of a man, routinely posting videos connected societal media from his gym, nicknamed "Iron Paradise." However, Kerr -- who fought successful the heavyweight part -- is what Johnson described arsenic "a beast of a man." Therefore, determination would beryllium immoderate enactment to bash adjacent for Johnson, whose biceps often detonate retired of his shirts.

Safdie and Johnson met aboriginal connected astir however the WWE prima could alteration his assemblage to beryllium similar Kerr's.

"And [Benny] said," Johnson explained.

"I emotion this," Kerr interrupted.

"'I don't cognize however to accidental this to you and I don't cognize if you've ever heard this before, but you're going to person to get bigger ... I don't person the word, it's puffier,'" Johnson said, arsenic Kerr and Safdie broke retired into laughter.

Johnson told Safdie to springiness him 24 hours and that helium thinks helium knows what the manager needs. He came backmost the adjacent time and told Safdie it looked similar helium would person to enactment connected 25 to 30 pounds for the relation (it was revealed to ESPN that helium gained astir 30 pounds).

Quickly, though, Johnson realized this wouldn't beryllium immoderate mean bulk.

Kerr has a "rare one-of-one body," Johnson explained.

"Fast-twitch fibers, that antithetic prime of musculus of a wrestler with a nonstop centrifugal that's ever going in, shooting, lifting up," Johnson said. "Just that work, the deltoid and past the traps, the neck, his quads ... to enactment connected that benignant of musculus is conscionable different. So that's wherefore I went into an MMA camp, trained with existent coaches, existent MMA fighters, conscionable to support my movement."

HIS TRAINING CAMP began successful April 2024, a period earlier accumulation started for the film. Johns...