Christopher Nolan Praises Dwayne Johnson in ‘The Smashing Machine’: “Best Performance This Year”
We’ve seen The Rock wrestle, crack jokes in “Fast & Furious” movies, and save the world more times than we can count. But when Christopher Nolan — the mastermind behind “Oppenheimer,” “Inception,” and “The Dark Knight” — calls your performance “incredible” and “heartbreaking,” you know something special just happened.
Christopher Nolan’s Podcast Appearance
And that’s exactly what went down when Nolan appeared on “The Director’s Cut” podcast to chat with Benny Safdie, director of Johnson’s latest film “The Smashing Machine.” The praise wasn’t just polite Hollywood back-patting either. Nolan went full nuclear with his endorsement.
Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Hold Back His Praise
Nolan gushed on the podcast:
“I think it’s an incredible performance… I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years.”
Most other years. Let that sink in. This is coming from the director who’s worked with Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cillian Murphy — actors who’ve delivered career-defining performances under his direction. When Christopher Nolan says you’ve delivered one of the best performances he’s seen, that’s not just a compliment. That’s a career-changing stamp of approval.
The “Oppenheimer” Oscar winner didn’t stop there, either. He described Johnson’s portrayal of MMA fighter Mark Kerr as genuinely “heartbreaking” — a word you’d never expect to hear associated with the guy who used to drop The People’s Elbow on WWE rings.
The Performance That’s Changing Everything
“The Smashing Machine” sees Johnson completely transform into Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC heavyweight champion whose life spiraled into substance abuse and personal turmoil. This isn’t the charismatic action hero we’re used to seeing. This is Johnson disappearing entirely into a broken, vulnerable human being.
The physical transformation alone is staggering. Johnson gained significant weight to authentically portray Kerr, making himself virtually unrecognizable from his usual superhero physique. But it’s the emotional depth that’s really catching people off guard. Wrestling legend Kurt Angle has already called the film Oscar-worthy, and now Christopher Nolan is essentially cosigning that assessment.
“You can’t control box office results,” Johnson said to Variety, after the film’s disappointing opening weekend, “but what I realized you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere.”
Why Christopher Nolan’s Opinion Matters
Here is what’s important about Nolan’s endorsement — it carries weight because the man doesn’t mess around with false praise. He’s notoriously selective about his projects and equally discerning about performances. When he worked with Benny Safdie on “Oppenheimer” (where Safdie had a small role), he apparently had no idea that Safdie was secretly recruiting cast members for his own film.
“I heard a rumor that when you were supposed to be learning your lines on my set, you were actually canvassing people to be in your movie,” Nolan joked during their podcast conversation. “I wasn’t aware of that at the time, but it seems to have worked out great for you.”
That “working out great” is an understatement. Safdie won the best director prize at the Venice Film Festival for “The Smashing Machine,” and now he’s got Christopher Nolan publicly championing the film.
The Box Office Reality Check
Reality check — “The Smashing Machine” hasn’t exactly set the box office on fire. The film opened with a career-low $5.9 million for Johnson, marking his worst theatrical opening since 2010’s “Faster.”
With a $50 million production budget and only $10 million domestically so far, it’s looking like a commercial disappointment.
However, Christopher Nolan specifically addressed this during his conversation with Safdie, saying the film is “a really remarkable and radical piece of work that will be understood more and more over time.”
That’s code for “this is the kind of film that wins awards and gets remembered long after the blockbusters are forgotten.”
The Academy Awards Conversation Heats Up
With endorsements from Christopher Nolan and Kurt Angle, plus Benny Safdie’s Venice Film Festival win, “The Smashing Machine” is positioning itself as a serious Oscar contender. Johnson’s performance is being talked about as the year’s most acclaimed acting work.
The timing couldn’t be better for Johnson’s career pivot. After years of being Hollywood’s reliable action star, he’s clearly hungry for dramatic recognition. This performance, backed by Christopher Nolan’s enthusiastic support, could be exactly what he needs to break through into prestige territory.
What This Means for Johnson’s Future
Christopher Nolan doesn’t throw around superlatives lightly. When he calls a performance one of the best he’s seen “this year or most other years,” he’s essentially putting Johnson in the same conversation as the actors he’s directed to Oscar noms and wins.
This endorsement could open doors for Johnson that have been closed throughout his action-heavy career. Directors take notice when Christopher Nolan publicly champions a performance. Award voters pay attention when one of cinema’s most respected filmmakers highly lauds your performance.
“The Smashing Machine” might not be breaking box office records, but it’s breaking something potentially more valuable — the perception that Dwayne Johnson can only play one type of role. With Christopher Nolan leading the charge in recognizing this transformation, Dwayne Johnson’s dramatic future certainly looks brighter than ever.
