The Rock Breaks Down in Tears After Emotional Premiere of The Smashing Machine in Venice – The Rock was overcome with emotion at the Venice Film Festival on Monday night as The Smashing Machine made its world premiere. Starring as MMA legend Mark Kerr in the A24 biopic, alongside Emily Blunt, The Final Boss was greeted with a thunderous 15-minute standing ovation that left him in tears. The film, directed by Benny Safdie, is scheduled to release on October 3, 2025.
Variety reported that the ovation was one of the longest of this year’s festival. As the applause carried on, Safdie embraced both The Rock and Blunt, with all three visibly emotional during the powerful moment. At one point, a fan in the audience shouted The Rock’s iconic catchphrase, “If ya smell what The Rock is cooking,” sparking laughter from the actor and his co-star.
During the festival’s press conference, The Rock reflected on his Hollywood career and the challenges of breaking free from the box office-driven mold.
“The three of us have talked about, when you’re in Hollywood, it had become about box office,” he said. “And you chase the box office, and the box office can be very loud and it can become very resounding and it can push you into a category and into a corner. This is your lane and this is what you do and this is what Hollywood wants you to do.”
He admitted he often questioned whether he was truly living his own dream or simply living up to others’ expectations.
“I just had this burning desire and voice that was saying, ‘What if there is more and what if I can?’ A lot of times, it’s harder for us or at least for me to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeonholed into something. Sometimes it takes people that who you love and respect, like Emily and Benny, to say that you can.”
He continued, “I started to think, am I living my dream or am I living other people’s dreams? You come to that recognition and you can either fall in line—‘Well, it’s status quo, things are good, I don’t want to rock the boat’—or go. I want to live my dreams now and do what I want to do and have a place finally to put all this stuff that I’ve experienced in the past that I’ve shied away from.”
The Rock also opened up about pushing himself creatively, admitting he had long been afraid of taking on deeper, more vulnerable roles. “I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity.” Still, he made it clear that his decision to explore new territory doesn’t diminish his blockbuster career: “I made those movies, and I liked them. Some were really good and did well. And some not so much.”
The Smashing Machine marks a major shift for The Rock, showcasing him in one of the most dramatic and personal roles of his career to date.
The Rock Breaks Down in Tears After Emotional Premiere of The Smashing Machine in Venice
