Dwayne Johnson speaks out amid “extreme” weight loss concerns after The Smashing Machine

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has spoken out about his transformation after The Smashing Machine, having sparked concern during his appearance at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. 

The WWE legend has officially entered his serious acting era, taking on the lead role of Mark Kerr in the biographical sports movie The Smashing Machine. Early reviews have described his performance as career-defining, with many suggesting he could be in line for his first-ever Oscar.

Not only did it put his acting skills to the test, but the role was physically demanding too, as Johnson had to gain 30 pounds of muscle to transform into the MMA legend. 

This contributed to weight loss concerns that were raised when Johnson was photographed at the Venice Film Festival with a noticeably slimmer frame, but he’s since spoken out and revealed that the transformation wasn’t as “extreme” as it might have seemed. 

Dwayne Johnson says “there’s nothing extreme” about weight loss

After The Smashing Machine, Johnson was cast as a 70-something-year-old named Chicken Man in the upcoming movie Lizard Music, a role that required him to lose 30 pounds – which only made the change seem more dramatic. 

Dwayne Johnson confirms he dropped weight to star as Chicken Man in an adaptation of 'Lizard Music' 🐓

• Plays a 70-year-old man whose best friend is a 70-year-old chicken

• Benny Safdie is directing

• Story follows a boy who discovers intelligent alien lizard musicians… pic.twitter.com/FCWXIUn1FW

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) September 8, 2025

In a conversation with LADbible, the actor explained that everything was managed safely and properly. “There’s nothing extreme about it,” he told the outlet. 

Elaborating on the weight loss, Johnson said, “We have time to do it, which is really nice… I can’t wait, because, again, it’s the opportunity that I have where I can immerse myself into something and disappear.”

That being said, it was still a “hard” and “challenging” process, adding, “I put on five pounds here, 10 pounds there for roles in the past, but 30? Because Mark was so much, in a way, bigger, and his body was built differently… you realise it’s actually so hard.”

In order to achieve the look for Lizard Music, Johnson had to watch what he ate carefully. As for whether he’d do it again, it would all depend on the project.

'THE SMASHING MACHINE' featuring Dwayne Johnson debuts at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Some are describing it as his best performance to date pic.twitter.com/fsC6tpPyey

— ScreenTime (@screentime) September 1, 2025

“It’s a new side to access and explore, but it’s been there the whole time. I just haven’t put myself in a position where I could do it,” Johnson continued. 

“I had this little voice behind my rib cage saying, ‘Hey, you can do more. There is more’ – but then there’s a little uncertainty. Can I do more?”

The Smashing Machine lands in cinemas on October 3, 2025. Until then, check out the best action movies ever made, the new films coming to streaming this month, and everything that’s coming up with our 2025 movies release calendar.