What The Rock Discovered While Starring In The Smashing Machine
The Rock has lifted the lid on what he discovered about himself while filming his upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine.
At Elimination Chamber in February 2025, The Rock was on hand to light the fuse on John Cena’s shocking heel turn. The Final Boss opened the door for Cody Rhodes to align with him, but when Rhodes forcefully declined that offer, John Cena turned on Rhodes before Cena, The Rock, and Travis Scott laid a vicious beating on The American Nightmare.
WWE fans expected to see The Rock back in the company throughout the year, especially at WrestleMania 41, but he remained conspicuous by his absence.
During his time away from WWE, The Rock has been focusing on his Hollywood career, which has included portraying troubled UFC star Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. And judging by new footage of the star, which has appeared online, he’s been slimming down dramatically.
The Rock Details Lessons Learned In The Smashing Machine
The Rock has been earning significant Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Kerr, and now, in an interview with CBS’s Sunday Morning, the star has explained how that role made him much more empathetic as a person:
I really realized that I think you’ll find interesting, and people watching, I think, will find this interesting. Becoming Mark Kerr really allowed me to become even more empathetic to the world. because I try to be empathetic. I try to not be too judgy. Wait and see. There might be context I’m missing out of something and or I don’t know what that person is going through.
That was a big thing that I realized is that I was talking to Benny Safdie about that, like, ‘Hey, you never know what people are going through,’ right? They could seem like they have it together, especially a guy like Mark Kerr, he’s on top of the world. He’s a world champion. He’s the greatest fighter on the planet, and he looks like he’s capable, but he’s just dying on the inside.
So, becoming Mark just allowed me to become even more empathetic, too. You just never know what people are going through.