*Dwayne Johnson experienced a turbulent childhood, moving from North Carolina to Connecticut while navigating a household defined by conflict.
Per Variety, reflecting on his upbringing, Johnson recalled, “My own mom and dad had an explosive and volcanic relationship. My dad was a pro wrestler at a time when it was the Wild West… He struggled with his addictions and focused on his career and himself, while my mom was at home, raising me. She had to give up her own dreams and support the man that she loves. All she wanted was to be seen, and she was never seen. And I grew up watching that kind of decline in a relationship when a man battles his own demons. I watched their fights. I heard their fights, which is even worse.”
Johnson channeled that pain into tough-guy roles without confronting it directly. “For years, I didn’t know that could actually serve as a landing place for me to be able to put all this trauma you go through into my work,” he said. “I was probably scared to go there.”
His approach shifted in 2017 when he pursued the life rights of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, whose struggles with addiction limited his UFC career. That effort culminated in A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” where Johnson immerses himself in a role that required extensive prosthetics, rendering him nearly unrecognizable.
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Johnson’s performance as Kerr premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2025, where the 53-year-old actor was overcome with emotion during a 15-minute standing ovation, one of the longest at the 82nd festival. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film features Emily Blunt as Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn Staples, and even Kerr was moved to tears during the screening. Johnson noted, “I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past… stories that are raw and real; characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting.”
“The Smashing Machine” has positioned Johnson as a potential Oscar contender and earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He will also receive the Entertainment Icon Award at the 8th American Black Film Festival Honors on Feb. 16, where industry figures such as Jennifer Hudson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Damson Idris will also be recognized.
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