The Rock’s Slim New Look at Toronto Film Festival
Just over a month ago, The Rock appeared at the Toronto Film Festival for the premiere of his new A24 movie, “The Smashing Machine,” a psychological drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr. On the red carpet, Johnson looked noticeably slimmer than is typical for the strongman actor and former WWE star. When asked about his changing look, he revealed he’s actually in the midst of prepping for a new role, for a movie called “Lizard Music,” based on the cult-classic children’s novel of the same name by Daniel Pinkwater. The film is being written and directed by Benny Safdie (who also wrote and directed “The Smashing Machine”), and, according to him, is about “a kid who discovers an island of lizards that are sentient, and they play music, they have broadcast TV. And they want him to come and see them. And he teams up with the Chicken Man, who Dwayne plays, and they go on this adventure to find the land of the lizards.”
From Bulked-Up Fighter to Aging Adventurer
In “The Smashing Machine,” Johnson is nearly unrecognizable, and he’ll probably be unrecognizable in “Lizard Music” too, except in a completely different way. He had to gain over 30 pounds to portray Mark Kerr, just to turn around and lose it all and then some in order to look the part of a man in his 70s. In addition to his dramatic physical transformation, Johnson delivers an emotionally raw and measured performance in “The Smashing Machine,” calling it: “the great challenge of my life, of my career.” Even some critics are praising it as worthy of nomination for leading actor at the Oscars (despite the movie itself underperforming at the box offices).
Breaking Free from the Action-Star Mold
In “Lizard Music,” Johnson will portray “a very whimsical and eccentric 70-something-year-old man called the Chicken Man. And his best friend is a 70-something-year-old chicken,” he told Deadline. Wildly different from any role he’s tackled before. For years he’s been pigeonholed as an action-star actor with limited range, but between “The Smashing Machine” and the upcoming “Lizard Music,” he’s putting all that to rest. The two back-to-back, contrasting movie roles spark a significant change for Johnson, who himself has acknowledged his difficulty in breaking out of the stale cycle of high-octane action parts, and his desire to pursue different things. Well, these two roles couldn’t be more different.
Now in Theaters
“The Smashing Machine” is now in theaters, and will be headed to HBO Max in the next couple months. Check it out if you want to see Johnson flex his acting chops, and keep an eye out for “Lizard Music.”
