Los Angeles: Known for his work in action tentpoles such as Red Notice and the Jumanji reboot franchise, star Dwayne Johnson shared that he wasn’t getting the opportunity for more “raw and gritty” roles as he was “too scared” to explore more vulnerable themes.
Johnson, who is one of the highest-paid and highest-grossing actors of all time, while promoting the forthcoming release The Smashing Machine, noted he was nervous about portraying legendary MMA fighter and two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Mark Kerr in the Benny Safdie-helmed biopic, reports deadline.com.
“It was very real. I had not experienced that in a very, very, very long time, where I was really scared and thinking, I don’t know if I can do this. Can I do this?” he said.
He added: “I realised that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff.”
The 53-year-old star shared that he “was so hungry for an opportunity to do something raw and gritty and rip myself open. And all of a sudden, Smashing Machine comes along.”
For the role, the The Scorpion King actor said he had to don over a dozen prosthetics to portray the gentle giant known for his fighting prowess: “I just sat in front of that mirror for three to four hours and watched it all change. There were about 13 or 14 different prosthetics. Subtle, yet I think very impactful,” he said.
“By the time I got to set, I was Mark Kerr and I felt it, from how he walked to how he talked and how he looked at life.”
The Smashing Machine, also starring Emily Blunt, will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival September 8, before debuting in theatres October 3.
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