Dwayne Johnson’s best performance in upcoming films Smashing Machine The former Pro wrestler has won the Oscars ahead of the 2026 awards.
The 53-year-old actor has undergone a dramatic physical and mental transformation, with his career focused primarily on action roles more than life and family-friendly comedy, playing UFC Hall of Fame Mark Kerr in a biopic about his life. Smashing MachineIt opened nationwide on October 3rd and has already won several awards, bringing Benny Lion home for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, where the film was premiered.
Johnson has never been considered heavyweight when it comes to dramatic acting, but he received an overwhelmingly positive response to playing Carr, dealing with a period of his career, where he struggled so badly with drug addiction.
“(Johnson) stands on the cliff of career-defining moments, something he’s been hoping for for quite some time,” Variety’s Clayton Davis wrote of his performance in the film.
“Comparison with the turn of Mickey Rourke’s Oscar nominated Darren Aronofsky Wrestler (2008) is inevitable and appropriate. Both films focus on fighters tackling physical deterioration and personal demons. With Rourke pulling out of his boxing background, Johnson took advantage of something more raw and psychologically complex. Working with two-time Oscar winner Kazu Hiro (“Bomb” and “Dark Hour”), Johnson undergoes a physical change that erases the idea of the WWE star in the costume. In fact, he even managed to position himself as Brendan Fraser of the year. Whale Similarly, he won both acting and skill Oscars for an actor who was considered a nominee for an unlikely award. ”
Johnson has looked into it for a long time. Smashing Machine After watching a 2002 documentary of the same name, as a passion project, he learned more about the fighter who became a former wrestler. It took him years to finally get the project off the ground, but now Smashing Machine He is about to debut with the A24 (an independent studio won by a huge amount of Academy Awards).
It’s impossible to hide Johnson in any film – being a 6-foot-5 muscle-bound giant does it for you – he is effectively disguised behind a prosthetic limb that turns him into a car for the film.
Johnson spends most of the films opposite Emily Blunt doesn’t hurt her winning an Oscar nomination for her performance. Oppenheimer.
As a result, Johnson was brought to tears after a 15-minute standing ovation following his film debut in Venice, and had a career-determining role.
“While Johnson rarely played the loser, he’s always liked and has a huge smile to match his massive pecks that he never allowed to showcase a lot of range,” Hollywood reporter Jordan Mintzer wrote of the film. “He can go deep here without going too far, kindly killing the audience as a benign warrior who suffers from a scene, and temporarily wins in the ring before succumbing to addiction and romantic sadness.
“Like Mickey Rourke Wrestler – A film where Safdie appears to have got some cues – the actor delivers an intoxicating mix of blood, sweat, tears, protein, and a complete helplessness. ”
Gold Derby, a site that offers odds for all major entertainment awards, is currently one of the top five performers with the highest chance of winning Johnson for Best Actor nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards: Timothy Chalamet, Jeremy Allen White, Michael B. Jordan and past winner Brendan Fraser.
“Johnson is an ideal match for Safdi and material, and the bridge between senses and Croy influences the disconnect between who Mark is in the octagon (intimidating, unbeaten, all primitive machismo energy) and whether he is outside the cage (harrowing, uncertain, cauliflower spawning),” Indiwire’s Latanzio said of the film. “That’s all to say Smashing Machine Johnson, who doesn’t play like Catnip at the Easy Awards, has earned a considerable position among those seeking this year’s awards. ”
The Academy Award nominations will not be announced until early 2026, but all signs point to serious consideration alongside Safdi as well as the best scripting possibilities.
After the October 3rd release, more reactions to Johnson’s performance begin to pour in Smashing Machine However, the former WWE superstar appears to be ready to get the opportunity to add an Oscar to his resume in 2026.
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