Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, whose role in boxing movie “The Smashing Machine” is marking a dramatic turn in his acting career, has said he felt “pigeon-holed” as a blockbuster star.
The former WWE wrestler – who is known for portraying charismatic and athletic characters in high-octane action movies such as the “Fast & Furious” film franchise, “San Andreas” and “Skyscraper” – takes on the role of a much more nuanced character, MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, in his latest film.
The real-life Kerr was the subject of a 2002 HBO documentary that chronicled his substance abuse and explored the brutality of the sport to which he had dedicated his life.
Johnson cried as “The Smashing Machine” received a 15-minute standing ovation at the world premiere of the movie at the 82nd Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Monday night.
Hollywood gathers for a week of glamour in Venice
“A lot of times, it’s harder for us, or at least for me, sometimes to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something,” Johnson told reporters in Venice.
“You know, when you’re in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office. And it can be very resounding and it can push you into a category and into a corner,” he continued, before admitting that he gave into the commercial pressure.
“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. And I understood that. And I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun. Some were really good and did well, and some not so good,” Johnson said.
“I just had this burning desire and this voice that was saying, well again, ‘what if? But what if there is more? And what if I can?’” he added.
The 53-year-old – who joined the board directors for TKO Group Holdings, the company consisting of the merged WWE and UFC – will soon return for the new season of ESPN’s football talk show “Manningcast.”
“The Smashing Machine,” directed by Benny Safdie, will premiere in Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, before debuting in the United States and the United Kingdom the following month.
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