Dwayne Johnson breaks Hollywood mould in gritty fight drama

Dwayne Johnson takes a serious turn as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine,” which had its world premiere on Monday at the Venice Film Festival.

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"I have for a long time wanted this,” Johnson said before the premiere. “The transformation part was something I was really hungry to do. I've been very fortunate to have the career that I've had and make the films that I have, but there was just this voice inside of me, this little voice, like what if I can do more.” The actor, best known for big budget action movies and comedies, is already sparking Oscar buzz for his transformation in the film from Benny Safdie. The festival has launched several recent best actor Oscar winners, from Brendan Fraser in “The Whale” to Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist.” Like both of those films, “The Smashing Machine” is being released by A24.

“The box office in our business is very loud,” Johnson said. “And it can push you into a category and into a corner: This is your lane, this is what you do, this what people want you to be in and this is what Hollywood wants you to be. And I understood that. And I made those movies, and I like them and they were fun.