Between rock and a hard place: the battle above Dwayne Johnson to be taken seriously as an actor

In The crushing machine, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is mistreated and defeated, in bloody fights for his opponents in the ring, and at quiet times around the world. In the film, he plays the UFC fighter of real life and the Mixed Marcial Artist Mark Kerr, whose domain in sport at the end of the 1990s begins to crumble as his dependence on analgesics increases, increasing the tension in his romantic relationship and rises the glory that saves the winning struggles in front of the multitude of fanatics worshiped in another way for addiction.

It is a completely new side for the actor, that the public is accustomed to seeing exaggerated lead franchises as Jumanji and Fast and furious, where our heroes always win.

Johnson’s mass success is a blessing and a curse. He said at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, where The crushing machine He received a huge 15 -minute ovation, he has felt “pigeonholed” in the entertainment industry and “scared to be deep, intense and raw so far.” His official statements have been humble, as well as the standard for awards campaigns, but his search for praise is obvious. The 2024 larger profit actor, who has played with the idea of ​​a presidential career, is shaping a loser narrative.

“Whatever happens from here, I don’t know. But this movie has already changed my life, and I am always grateful,” Johnson subtitled a publication that promotes his new film on Tiktok, where he has more than 80 million followers.

He would like to be taken seriously as an actor, and portray a problematic fighter is the ideal vehicle for the star that dominates each screen in which he has been with his scarce and muscular shape, throwing blows to the left and the right. That is true in The crushing machine, But the similarities with their past roles end there.

With this performance, Johnson is doing everything the actors tend to do when they want to win prizes: physically acquired a dramatically different appearance, he uses facial prostheses and won 30 pounds; He makes a precise impression of a well -known figure and shows a broad spectrum of emotion, from ecstasy to anger, while it comes to heavy issues such as substance abuse and suicide. You have to deliver both violence and quiet devastation, sometimes in the same scene.

Like Kerr, Johnson knows a lot about what it is to dominate in the ring. Before being one of the highest grossing film stars in the world, he was considered one of the best professional fighters of all the world federation of struggle. Like Kerr, Johnson yearns more.

‘A doubtful brand change’

However, not everyone is on board with their prestige pivot.

Although many critics have praised Johnson’s performance as the “great weapon” of the film and one that could “rewrite the story of (his) career as the actress”, the enthusiasts of the films in X and Reddit find their search for awards in the midst of so much commercial success to feel artificial, especially since it will come directly to the block machine of the great machine soon. Matt Belloni of Puck called Johnson’s Press Tour, with a thinned physique and small glasses, “a doubtful brand change.”

It’s so obvious that he wants to be taken seriously, he feels sinister. Don’t you have everything already?

One thing is sure: this turn acclaimed by critics is that there are no cash layers. Johnson made Moana, San Andreas and One red and many other box office successes. There was a complete television program about his education called Young Rock. Taking a biographical film when you basically already have an envelope is incredibly unusual. In any case, it is part of your own search for glory. There were not many people who believed that Johnson could.

But everything I really needed at the beginning was for a person to buy. At the premiere of the Toronto International Film Festival of The crushing machine, The writer and director Benny Safdie told Canada The morning show That he “only knew” that Johnson could assume the heavy role.

“He had something really deep behind his eyes … I wanted to explore that with him,” he says. “Sometimes you just know.”

Artistic growth or ego?

It has been a while since an action star successfully gave the leap of the commercial rate to a drama worthy of award, although Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and Will Smith have done it.

Now we accept more to those who flow from prestige to action, such as Jennifer Lawrence and Timothée Chalamet, but some audiences still consider that the shameless search for greatness is unpleasant. Omari Newton, chief of action of the Vancouver Film School, tells Yahoo that it is “an indication of artistic growth when an artist wants to reach beyond his comfort zone of the complacents of the crowd driven by the shows and deepen a more artistic work.”

But it may also seem like a “selfish desire to remain relevant,” he says. In the era of social networks, celebrities feel overexposed, which can make the public feel tired and resentful.

“The mystique that used to surround Old’s stars has been replaced by 24 hours to all his thoughts, feelings and movements,” says Newton.

The Rock is a true film star, but as many before him, film stars evolve. It is the public that is not exactly willing to accept the behavior that is needed to become one and stay. Stacy Jones, CEO of the Hollywood Branded influential marketing company, tells Yahoo that we would prefer to put the actors in ordered boxes.

“When someone leaves the lane, we assign them, create friction,” she says. “(Johnson is) not only a film star; it is an ecosystem of pop culture only on his own. A wrestling mixture, tequila, Disney, box office hits and (widely) followed the social networks that … makes some audiences bristly when he points out that he wants the same critical respect as the” serious “” actors.

Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Lady Gaga faced the same setback at the points of their races. Everyone had to navigate what the public relations strategist Amoe Philip calls the “paradox of success.”

“Given its immense success in the film industry, some might feel that they should be content with the empire it has built,” he tells Yahoo. “The search (Johnson) of roles worthy of an Oscar does not mean ingratitude; highlights his ambition and passion for his trade.”

The pressure is on

It is up to the public to decide whether they think Johnson really wants to improve his art or if he is simply looking for more acclamations, but are the two really different things?

Johnson told Variety to transform into Kerr was the “most difficult thing I’ve done.” Everything went, unleashing the emotions that would accumulate within his life. It is difficult not to make comparisons about what The crushing machine He says about World Renown traps and why Johnson would follow a role acclaimed by critics. He consulted with the Kerr of real life about his interpretation of the years in which his life and his career began to crumble.

“He said: ‘I never lost.’ But the truth is that victory became an enemy,” says Johnson. “The pressure became toxic. The film is not about winning or losing. It’s about pressure and how we survive.”

When interpreting Kerr, Johnson is assuming a huge risk: swimming in the unknown waters of a serious dramatic action, despite having conquered the large budget action circuit much more lucrative. You may not win important awards, but you agree with the expectations of your mass audience and ask you to think about it differently. Confronting the pressure of fame with his character feels like victory.