What Brendan Fraser said to Dwayne Johnson amid Smashing Machine hype

After winning his first Oscar, Brendan Fraser seemingly has hope for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is garnering praise for playing Mark Kerr in A24’s The Smashing Machine.

The two shared a moment before a screening of The Smashing Machine at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which was captured by Clayton Davis. While it is hard to make out what they said in the video, Davis says Fraser revealed he told Johnson, “This is your moment.”

That is a positive endorsement from an actor who won his first Oscar recently, something Johnson is likely hoping to accomplish with The Smashing Machine.

Fraser recently won Best Actor for his performance in The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Like The Smashing Machine, The Whale premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. It then screened at TIFF.

Will Dwayne Johnson win an Oscar for The Shashing Machine?

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images.

A24 is taking a similar approach to The Whale when it comes to The Smashing Machine. It has been screening at the same festivals, and Johnson’s performance has been praised.

Still, fans won’t know whether or not he gets nominated until next year. However, there is a chance Johnson could land his first Oscar nomination.

He plays Mark Kerr, a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, in the biopic. Emily Blunt, his former Jungle Cruise co-star, plays Kerr’s then-wife, Dawn Staples.

Benny Safdie wrote and directed it. Previously, he directed several movies with his brother, Josh, like Good Time and Uncut Gems. However, after their professional split, they both directed projects for A24. Benny made The Smashing Machine, and Josh made Marty Supreme, which will come out in December 2025.

Benny has also acted in several projects. Some of his credits include Pieces of a Woman, Licorice Pizza, Oppenheimer, and Happy Gilmore 2. Coming up, he will re-team with Christopher Nolan when he appears in The Odyssey.

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