Dwayne Johnson had an "out-of-body experience" hearing Christopher Nolan praise his performance in The Smashing Machine.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker heaped praise on Johnson's "incredible" and "heartbreaking" performance during a conversation with The Smashing Machine's director Benny Safdie at a Directors Guild of America screening in Los Angeles in October.

Johnson was sitting with his wife Lauren Hashian in the audience as he heard the Oppenheimer filmmaker say, "I don't think you'll see a better performance this year or most other years."

During an interview with Variety, the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star shared that it was an "out-of-body experience" hearing Nolan sing his praises.

"It was the most inspiring thing anyone has ever said about me," he said. "Once it started to sink in, I was having an out-of-body experience. I was sitting next to my wife and I grabbed her hand so hard, and she squeezed my hand back."

With his wife's encouragement, Johnson went up to Nolan backstage after his comments.

"I just gave him the biggest hug and the biggest kiss on the cheek," he recalled. "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."

The former wrestler noted that several friends across the industry have come up to him to laud his portrayal of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, including Matt Damon, who told him, "In what we do, we're lucky enough, sometimes, to make a film that endures."

Johnson received rave reviews and Oscar buzz for his first dramatic role after The Smashing Machine's premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. However, the buzz has diminished since the film flopped at the box office last month.