Emily Blunt Praises Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine: ‘I Love Him so Much’
Emily Blunt has nothing but praise for her Smashing Machine co-star, Dwayne Johnson.
What did Emily Blunt say about Dwayne Johnson?
While speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Blunt spoke about her role in The Smashing Machine, A24’s upcoming biopic about former wrestler and MMA star Mark Kerr. Blunt plays Dawn Staples, Kerr’s then-girlfriend. To play Kerr, Johnson had to wear prosthetics and transform his body, something he has rarely done in previous roles. Blunt believes this is the first time Johnson could truly “disappear” for a part.
“Dwayne is someone who, as you know — not only because of his colossal size, but just who he is — has never really been allowed to disappear, and he is unrecognizable in this,” Blunt said during an interview at the panel (via Variety). “And it’s an incredibly intense film — yes, centered around the life of this real life MMA fighter Mark Kerr — all of his struggles with addictions, his relationships. It was, again, an incredibly immersive, very intense, very emotional experience to do it, and he is extraordinary in it.”
Johnson and Blunt previously worked together on 2021’s Jungle Cruise. The duo knew they wanted to work together again, though they did not expect it to be on such an intense film.
“I love him so much, and we had the best time on ‘Jungle Cruise,'” Blunt added. “We knew we wanted to do something else together. I don’t think either of us knew it would be a departure like ‘The Smashing Machine,’ which I can’t wait for people to see.”
“The Smashing Machine follows Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career,” the official synopsis reads. “He struggles with addiction, winning, love, and friendship in the year 2000.”
The Smashing Machine also stars Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Zoe Kosovic.
Benny Safdie is the writer, director, and co-producer of The Smashing Machine. Additional producers include Johnson, Eli Bush, and David Koplan.
A24 will release The Smashing Machine in 2025.
Source: Comingsoon.net