As if it were the last round of a wrestling match Dwyane Johnson, formerly known as The Rock, jumped into a ring-shaped stage to present his latest film ‘The Smashing Machine’ in Mexico, the biopic of former U.S. martial artist Mark Kerr.
“It is very important for us, too, the wrestling. We know how important wrestling is in Mexican culture. It’s a very nice thing,” Johnson said.
The film, directed solo for the first time by filmmaker Benny Safdie, tells the story of Kerr, a wrestling competitor who after several victories in the United States decides to turn his career around and move to Japan to fight.
With stuffed animals of Dwyane Johnson’s face, busts in his shape and tattoos of the bull that identifies the artist’s brand, the actor’s fans rushed to the meeting trying to get a signature or promotional T-shirt for the film.
“Thank you very much to Mexico, every time I come here the support is incredible,” he responded, surprised by the shouts and signs of affection.
Moments before, Safdie, who after having triumphed in ‘Openheimer’ (2023) as a supporting actor, returned to direct a film, was received with another standing ovation.
“The energy here is contagious, you can feel the excitement in every scream. It’s the other side of a sport they love and the other side of Dwayne,” Safdie exclaimed.
The energy of Dwyane Johnson ‘The Rock’ in ‘The Smashing Machine’.
In addition to the Hoollywood stars, Mexican mixed martial arts personalities such as the legend El Huracán, who appeared with his Mexican wrestling mask vindicating the success of the North American country in contact sports, joined the red carpet.
While Kerr may be an unknown to the vast majority of fans in the boxing or martial arts world, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion is one of the competition’s greatest stories of overcoming the steep decline in his career.
That story behind the fights was what Safdie wanted to portray in the film, focusing on “paying homage” to Kerr and not so much on the characteristic fights of these action films.
“There was complexity in their history and beauty that I wanted to show. When you show them it’s something that excites. The script was complicated, and (Dwyane) and I hadn’t had time to get to know each other,” he explained of the production complications.
That was the same line that ‘The Rock’ used to inspire and work on the relationship between director and actor, which he valued as “very special”.
“The chemistry was very special between Benny and me. It’s very important when you get to know someone, and more so in a fight movie that is also about the people behind it,” he clarified.
The Smashing Machine’ opens on October 9 in Mexican theaters, reported Agencia EFE, the last battle of Dwayne Johnson ‘The Rock’ in big theaters.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
