Dwayne Johnson: I was pigeon-holed as box office star

Johnson, pictured in The Smashing Machine, said he had "been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now"

US actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has said he had a "burning desire" to make a different kind of film, after years of being "pigeon-holed" as a blockbuster star.

The 53-year-old could be in line for the first Oscar nomination of his career for his role in The Smashing Machine, which has just launched at the Venice Film Festival.

Johnson said playing UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the movie had "certainly changed my life", adding that the transformation was something he was "really hungry to do".

He told journalists: "I've been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do this."

Johnson is best known for his roles in big-budget movies such as Jumanji, San Andreas, Black Adam, Moana, Baywatch and the Fast & Furious franchise.

The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie, sees Johnson reunite with his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr's girlfriend Dawn Staples.

Asked about his motivation for taking on the role, Johnson explained: "I have wanted this for a long time.

"When you're in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud, it can be very [overwhelming].

"It can push you into a corner and category - 'This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be and this is what Hollywood wants you to be'.

Left to right: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, director Benny Safdie, and the real-life Mark Kerr in Venice

"And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good!" he laughed.

"But I think what I did realise is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, 'what if there's more, what if I can?'

"Sometimes it's hard to know what you're capable of when you've been pigeon-holed into something. It's harder to know 'wait, can I do that? I feel like I can'. And sometimes it takes people who you love and respect to say 'you can'."

Johnson, also known as The Rock from his own earlier career in wrestling, added he didn't think playing the role was "about anything to prove to Hollywood as much as it is for me, internally".

Johnson's performance 'a revelation'

Johnson has been praised by critics in early reviews of the film. Variety's Owen Gleiberman described his performance as "a revelation", adding that he "seems like a new actor".

In a four-star review, the Telegraph's Robbie Collin said: "His performance is warm, sincere and admirably ego-less, while some phenomenally delicate facial prosthetics alter his appearance just enough that you see his character, rather than The Rock, looming up on the screen."

IndieWire's Ryan Lattanzio concluded: "While The Smashing Machine doesn't play like easy awards catnip, Johnson earns a sizeable position among this year's prize-seekers."

Johnson reunites with his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr's girlfriend Dawn Staples

Normally in a Dwayne Johnson film, you're never more than about four minutes away from the next explosion or car chase.

The Smashing Machine is a different kettle of fish, focusing on the world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and how prominent a figure Kerr was in the early years of the sport in the 1990s.

As explained early in the film, UFC involves all kinds of fighting in the same ring. One fighter might be a boxer, while his opponent could come from a wrestling or karate background. More or less anything goes in the battle to be the last one standing.

"Around that time, there was something so experimental about what was going on," explains director Safdie, one half of the Safdie brothers, whose screen credits include Uncut Gems.

"You had all of these different martial arts forms competing against one another, and it was just such a unique sport.

"And it was also such a close-knit community where everybody knew one another and loved one another, and to have that contradiction of this fighting world but this love between them was something that was really beautiful to me, and I wanted to explore that."

Johnson and Blunt walked the red carpet together as the film received its premiere on the Venice Lido

The film has plenty of fight scenes, but its primary focus is outside of the ring, exploring Kerr's gentle nature, his battle with substance abuse, and his complex relationship with Dawn, played by Blunt.

The actress describes Johnson as a "dear friend", adding: "One of the most extraordinary things was seeing him completely disappear, it was spooky."

Discussing her own character, Blunt said: "I was delighted there was a woman in the midst of it, because there was a lot going on behind closed doors of what it means to live with a fighter and the all-consuming world that comes with that.

"I got to know Dawn well and she was very generous with her story with me, the full weather system of it, the regrets, the eruptions, the hazardous nature of the relationship at times, and the deep, profound love and devotion they had to each other amid an impossible environment.

"So I think it was an incredibly exciting relationship to put on screen. I'd been part of a lot of [on-screen] relationships that essentially are a movie-fied relationship, and this just felt like the full spectrum of what a relationship really looks like."

Set between 1997 and 2000, The Smashing Machine gets its title from the nickname given to Kerr after one of his early tournament victories. An HBO documentary about Kerr with the same title was released in 2002.

Johnson first met Kerr in the 1990s when he was a wrestler himself. He semi-retired from the sport in 2004 to focus on his Hollywood career, going on to become one of the industry's most bankable stars.

"I remember talking to [Kerr] back then and being so enamoured and respecting of his career, and it's so wild how years later life can come full circle in this incredible way," Johnson notes.

The actor said he's become "very close" to Kerr, who he describes as "a walking contradiction for a man who at one time was the greatest fighter on the planet, but also the most kind, gentle, tender, empathetic [person]".

Johnson said the "transformation part was something I was really hungry to do"

Awards pundits will be watching closely to see how Johnson's film is received, but the star joins a best actor race that is stacked with A-listers this year.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, George Clooney, Jesse Plemons, Timothee Chalamet and Jeremy Allen White are among the big names who could be competing with Johnson.

Only a small number of those stars will make it all the way to the Oscars, although several of them could be recognised at the more celebrity-skewing Golden Globes, which has more slots available. The race will start to crystallise as more of the films premiere in the coming weeks.

Reflecting on his success since leaving wrestling, Johnson said: "I have been very fortunate to have the career I've had over the years and make the films that I've made. But there was this voice inside of me that said 'what if I could do more?'"

He continued: "The truth is, I looked around a few years ago and started to think, 'am I living my dream or am I living other people's dreams?'

"And you come to that recognition and you can either fall in line, go 'it's status quo, things are good', or you can go, 'no, I wanna live my dreams now and do what I want to do, and tap into the things I want to tap into and have a place to put all this stuff that I've experienced in the past that I've shied away from'."