They say every role leaves a mark—but in the case of Dwayne “ The Rock ” Johnson, one role may have physically shaped another . Long before production on the live-action Moana reboot began, Johnson underwent a radical transformation for A24’s biopic The Smashing Machine . And, as it turns out, a lot of that work stuck, impacting his return as Maui in a way I hadn’t realized.

While he may be heading back to the beach for the upcoming Disney live-action movie , Johnson brought more than charm and demigod tattoos this time around. In a new interview with Variety , the Fast and Furious alum opened up about the toll Benny Safdie’s acclaimed 2025 movie release took on him—emotionally and physically. After bulking up to portray real-life fighter Mark Kerr, Johnson said

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