Dwayne Johnson speaks out amid “extreme” weight loss concerns after The Smashing Machine

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Okay, so The Rock himself addressed all the talk about how he looked at the Venice Film Festival in 2025. Apparently, a lot of people were worried about his physique, and he wanted to explain what happened and how he changed after filming *The Smashing Machine*.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is making a big move into serious acting with his leading role as Mark Kerr in the new film, *The Smashing Machine*. Critics are already praising his performance, calling it the best of his career and predicting a possible Oscar nomination – a first for the WWE star.

The role challenged Johnson as an actor and physically, requiring him to build 30 pounds of muscle to convincingly portray the MMA fighter.

People noticed Johnson looked thinner in photos from the Venice Film Festival, which led to concerns about his weight loss. However, he later explained that the change in his appearance wasn’t as dramatic as it seemed.

Dwayne Johnson says “there’s nothing extreme” about weight loss

Following his role in The Smashing Machine, Johnson landed a part as Chicken Man, a character in his seventies, in the new film Lizard Music. To prepare for the role, he lost 30 pounds, making the transformation even more noticeable.

Dwayne Johnson has revealed he lost weight for his role as Chicken Man in a new movie based on ‘Lizard Music’. He’ll be playing a 70-year-old man with a 70-year-old chicken as his best friend. The film is directed by Benny Safdie and tells the story of a boy who finds out about a group of intelligent alien lizards who are musicians.

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) September 8, 2025

The actor told LADbible that everything was handled safely and as it should be, clarifying that there was nothing unusual or dangerous about the situation.

Johnson explained that he has the time and opportunity to focus on losing weight, and he’s looking forward to fully dedicating himself to the process.

Despite everything, it was a really difficult process. I’ve gained weight for roles before – a few pounds here and there – but putting on thirty pounds was a huge challenge. Mark was a much larger man with a different build, and it made me realize just how hard it is to transform your body like that.

To get the right appearance for the Lizard Music project, Johnson had to be very mindful of his diet. Whether he’d repeat the experience would depend on the specific requirements of future work.

Dwayne Johnson’s new film, ‘The Smashing Machine,’ has received a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many viewers are calling it his strongest performance yet.

— ScreenTime (@screentime) September 1, 2025

Johnson explained that this ability has always been present, but he hadn’t created the right circumstances to utilize it until now. He added, ‘It’s a new avenue for me to try, but it wasn’t previously within my reach.’

I felt a quiet urging deep inside, telling me I was capable of achieving more, but I also hesitated, wondering if it was actually possible.

You can see *The Smashing Machine* in theaters on October 3, 2025. In the meantime, explore some of the greatest action films of all time, discover new movies available on streaming this month, and stay updated on all the 2025 movie releases with our complete calendar.

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2025-09-24 12:51