Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson‘s new look turned heads at the Venice Film Festival this weekend — but now he’s going viral for an entirely different reason.
Following the screening of his new movie The Smashing Machine, Johnson was honored by festivalgoers with a 15-minute standing ovation. Though the gesture is common amongst film festival attendees, Johnson couldn’t help but get emotional during the career-defining moment.
While standing beside his co-star Emily Blunt, Johnson was filmed crying on stage while applauding with his castmates. The actor appeared to mouth “thank you” to the audience as he wiped away tears.
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In the comment section, fans reacted to the actor’s heartwarming reaction.
“15 minutes of standing ovation?! That’s legendary. Dwayne truly deserves it,” wrote one fan. “Must be nice being called a horrible actor for all those years and finally being able to prove them wrong good for him.” said another.
“Sometimes it just takes the right role to flip the whole narrative,” added a third.
The Smashing Machine releases in theaters in the U.S. on Oct. 3. Johnson reportedly lost 60 pounds in preparation for his role as real-life UFC champion and MMA star Mark Kerr.
“This transformation was something I was really hungry to do,” Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter while attending the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, Aug. 30. “I had been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had over the years and to make the films that I’ve made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more — I want to do more and what does that look like?’”
The Smashing Machine is already generating Oscar buzz for Johnson, who has never been nominated for the prestigious award during his nearly three decades-long acting career.
Given the fan reaction at Venice Film Festival — it looks like Johnson may be a contender for a Best Actor nomination.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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