Dwayne Johnson, the undisputed box office king and one of the most popular blockbuster stars of the past 15 years, has gotten very serious all of a sudden.

He’s now headlining an A24 biopic directed by an indie darling, a far cry from the days of things being fast and/or furious.

In The Smashing Machine, Johnson (never “The Rock” now) plays Mark Kerr, one of the pioneering figures in the modern MMA fighting scene. It’s a meaty role, easily the most interesting one Johnson has had in years, and he knew it—having spent the last weeks exhaustively campaigning, junketing, and, in at least one case, getting weepy at a film festival in order to make sure he doesn’t throw away his shot at snagging his first Best Actor Oscar nomination.

The chances of that happening for The Smashing Machine

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