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Dwayne Johnson's dramatic acting turn in The Smashing Machine was down to a "burning desire" to be more than a blockbuster star.
"I have wanted this for a long time," Johnson said during a press conference for the Mark Kerr biopic at the Venice Film Festival (H/T BBC).
"When you're in Hollywood, as we all know, it [becomes] about box office and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud… It can push you into a corner and category: 'This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be and this is what Hollywood wants you to be.'"
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Johnson, in surprisingly frank fashion, continued, "And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good! But I think what I did realise is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, 'What if there's more, what if I can?' Sometimes it's hard to know what you're capable of when you've been pigeon-holed into something."
Johnson leads The Smashing Machine as MMA fighter Mark Kerr, a role that has already garnered early awards buzz and has led to an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score for the movie at the time of writing.
The immediate post-Venice screening response was just as intense – with Johnson breaking down into tears during a 15-minute standing ovation for the Benny Safdie-directed sports epic.
First emerging into Hollywood with a string of action-comedies after a successful career in the WWE, Johnson then made his name as a bona fide box office star in the likes of Jumanji, Black Adam, and the Fast and Furious franchise. Now, though, Johnson seemingly wants his career to head in a very different direction.
The Smashing Machine, also starring Emily Blunt, hits cinemas on October 3.
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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