Dwayne Johnson was in floods of tears as The Smashing Machine received a 15-minute standing ovation.
The 53-year-old actor - who rose to fame as The Rock in WWE before swapping wrestling for Hollywood - has earned high praise for his performance as MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the new A24 movie, which got its premiere at Venice Film Festival on Monday (01.09.25) night.
Dwayne was seen crying as the Lido rose to their feet to applaud the film, while he stood between co-star Emily Blunt and Kerr himself.
The ovation was one of the longest so far at this year's festival.
Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Steoodeh wrote on X: "Dwayne Johnson weeps during the 15-minute #Venezia2025 standing ovation for The Smashing Machine.
"This was the most emotion we've seen on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here four years ago for The Whale."
At the premiere, The Rock addressed his career change by tackling such a visceral role in Bennie Safdie's drama after years of blockbusters.
He said: “This transformation was something I was really hungry to do.
“I had been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had over the years and to make the films that I’ve made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more — I want to do more and what does that look like?' ”
He admitted the draw of the box office "can be very loud", and result in an actor being pushed "into a corner" where they are told "this is what people want you to do".
He continued: "I understood that, so I made those movies, and I liked them — they were fun.
"Some were really good and did well, and some not so good… A lot of times it’s harder for us — or at least for me, sometimes — to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed…
"And sometimes it takes people who you love and you respect, like Emily and Benny, to say you can.”
