WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confirmed this week that he has lost weight after bulking up for his role as Mark Kerr in the movie The Smashing Machine.
Speaking to Marc Malkin of Variety, The Rock said he put on 30 pounds in order to accurately portray Kerr before adding, “I’ve been dieting. Happy to not be carrying all the weight. I’m able to tuck in my shirt now.”
During an appearance last week on CBS Sunday Morning, The Rock divulged that despite his muscular physique, The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie asked him to get “bigger” and “puffier” so he could properly pull off Kerr’s unique look and avoid the need for a stunt double.
The Rock took on the task and went to great lengths to accomplish his goal, saying:
“I had to transform my body, which was a massive challenge for me. I’m a workout nut, I like working out and just being physical and sweating every morning. But this was different. … It’s different if you put on size and put on muscle. I’ve done that in the past for some roles. But this is the kind of muscle that you have to put on that has real fast-twitch fibers to it.”
Parade and US Weekly (h/t Megan Cartwright of Newsweek) recently reported that The Rock lost 60 pounds in preparation for his next film role.
According to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter, The Rock is starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt in a Martin Scorsese-directed crime thriller set in Hawai’i.
The Rock is no stranger to the life of an athlete, as he played college football at the University of Miami before becoming one of the most popular Superstars in WWE history, but transforming into an iconic MMA fighter was something entirely new for him.
Kerr was one of the first major stars in the world of MMA, as the former Syracuse University wrestler won the heavyweight tournament at UFC 14 and 15 in 1997.
He later went on to become one of the faces of Pride Fighting Championships, racking up a pro MMA record of 15-11 during a career that ran from 1997 to 2009.
Whatever The Rock did to essentially become Kerr, it seems to have paid off, as Johnson is receiving as much praise for his performance in The Smashing Machine as he has for any role he has ever played.
The viewing public will get to be the final judge, though, when The Smashing Machine hits theaters on Oct. 3.
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