Dwayne Johnson seems to be over the moon these days after receiving a heap of praise from visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan for his performance in this year’s The Smashing Machine. In a recent interview, the wrestler-turned-actor opened up about what it meant to him to receive acknowledgement from someone of Nolan’s stature, stating that the whole interaction felt absolutely surreal.
Dwayne Johnson reveals his feelings after getting Christopher Nolan’s praise
The Moana star recalled the Oppenheimer director’s response to his acting when the latter was interviewing fellow filmmaker Benny Safdie about his latest feature, The Smashing Machine, at a Directors Guild of America screening in Los Angeles.
“I think it’s an incredible performance,” Christopher Nolan said of Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of former wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr. Describing his performance as “heartbreaking,” the two-time Academy Award winner added, “I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years.”
Talking about the impact Nolan’s words had on him, Johnson stated to Variety, “It was the most inspiring thing anyone has ever said about me. Once it started to sink in, I was having an out-of-body experience. I was sitting next to my wife [Lauren Hashian], and I grabbed her hand so hard, and she squeezed my hand back.”
The Red Notice actor felt so overwhelmed by Nolan’s comments that his spouse had to request him to “actually speak like a human being” with the Inception director when the duo finally met backstage.
“I just gave him the biggest hug and the biggest kiss on the cheek,” Johnson remarked. “All I could say was ‘Thank you.’ And he said, ‘I meant what I said. You were heartbreaking, and the best performance of the year.’ I gave him another hug. That was all I could muster,” he further noted.
In addition, Christopher Nolan particularly lauded Dwayne Johnson’s acting in the scene where Mark Kerr’s best friend, Mark (played by Ryan Bader), confronts him about his out-of-control drug abuse.
Helmed by Bennie Safdie, The Smashing Machine arrived in theaters on October 3, 2025, receiving a positive response from critics.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory.
