Dwayne Johnson is UNRECOGNIZABLE as he transforms into MMA fighter Mark Kerr with curly wig and facial prosthetics while filming biopic The Smashing Machine in Vancouver
While filming his new movie, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has found himself in a different kind of ring.
The actor, 52, continued to get deep into character on Friday when he donned a wig and prosthetics to portray MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the A24 biopic The Smashing Machine, which is filming in Vancouver, Canada.
He was unrecognizable as he wore Kerr’s dark curly locks over his bald head, paired with a prosthetic nose.
Johnson wore a pair of retro gold aviators while wearing a black Under Armor hoodie for the scene.
The WWE star previously made his debut as a retired mixed martial artist when the first still from the Benny Safdie film was released earlier this week.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continued to get deep into character on Friday when he donned a wig and prosthetics to portray MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the A24 biopic The Smashing Machine, which is filming in Vancouver, Canada.
The Smashing Machine is based on John Hyams’ 2002 HBO documentary of the same name, which also chronicled Kerr’s (seen in 1997) substance abuse, hospitalization and rehabilitation period in 1999, in addition to his overall career.
He underwent a major transformation to play the half-Irish, half-Puerto Rican wrestler, who was in the late 1990s and early 20s and 30s when he became a two-time UFC heavyweight tournament champion.
Dwayne was aged and transformed by two-time Oscar winner Kazu Hiro, the same prosthetic makeup designer who transformed Bradley Cooper in Maestro (2023), Charlize Theron in Bombshell (2019) and Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017).
Kerr, now 55, has helped Johnson prepare to play it more authentically by joining him at his MMA training camp, where he has been “a total student of the game, absorbing and learning as much as he can, day to day.’
‘[Kerr] is still a machine that can cover the distance with terrifying speed and power,” the Fast after for his 559.8 million Instagram followers.
“I will be forever grateful for his invaluable knowledge, which he was kind enough to pass on to me, and especially for the brotherhood we share. Locking up with Mark and feeling his pressure and power – it’s no surprise that he was an NCAA, UFC and VALE TUDO heavyweight champion.
‘That’s the A-side of success. The B-side tells a completely different story. Thank you everyone for all your incredible support during this intense process and journey. Production begins filming this week.”
Principal photography officially began on Tuesday and the film will shoot in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New Mexico and Tokyo.
Dwayne has undergone five months of training since signing on to produce and star in The Smashing Machine, which marks Safdie’s solo feature film debut.
The new one still featured a first look at Oscar nominee Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, a recovering alcoholic from Arizona who married Mark in Las Vegas during their sometimes violent romance.
Johnson on set Friday (left), Johnson pictured in April 2024 (right)
Johnson was unrecognizable as he wore Kerr’s dark curly locks over his bald head, paired with a prosthetic nose
The WWE star previously made his debut as a retired mixed martial artist when the first still from the Benny Safdie film was released earlier this week.
Kerr, now 55, has helped Johnson prepare to play him more authentically by joining him at his MMA training camp, where he has been “a total student of the game, absorbing and learning as much as he can, day after day’.
Johnson and Blunt, 41, previously starred together in 2021’s Jungle Cruise.
The Smashing Machine – also starring Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk and Ryan Bader – is based on John Hyams’ 2002 HBO documentary of the same name, which also chronicled Kerr’s substance abuse, hospitalization and rehabilitation period in 1999, in addition to his overall career.
But first, the Young Rock co-creator produces and stars as Callum Drift in Jake Kasdan’s $250 million budget Christmas action film Red One, which hits US and UK cinemas on November 15, alongside Chris Evans, JK Simmons , Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Liu, Nick Kroll and Bonnie Hunt.
Johnson will then reprise his voiceover role as Maui in David G. Derrick Jr.’s Disney sequel Moana 2, which hits U.S. theaters on November 27.