Dwayne Johnson Responds to Christopher Nolan Praising His ‘Best Performance of the Year’

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson experienced a particularly memorable moment when director Christopher Nolan publicly praised his acting in The Smashing Machine. Johnson, 53, was attending a screening in Los Angeles on October 5th – the opening weekend of the film – when Nolan, who is not known for freely giving compliments, spoke highly of Johnson’s performance as MMA fighter Mark Kerr.

During a conversation with Benny Safdie about his latest movie, Nolan praised Johnson’s acting, calling it “incredible” and “heartbreaking.” He went on to say that he believes it’s the best performance of the year, and likely for many years to come.

People noticed the comments because the film had a quiet opening weekend, earning just $6 million in 3,300 theaters. This weak start caused many awards experts to believe it wouldn’t be an Oscar contender.

I was so moved to hear Johnson talk about Nolan’s praise! He said it was genuinely the most inspiring thing anyone had ever said to him, and you could just feel how much it meant. He’d gotten lovely words from people in Hollywood, even Matt Damon reminded him how rare it is to be part of a film that really lasts, but hearing Nolan say it, right then and there, was something else entirely. It clearly hit him on a different level.

Johnson said he felt like he was watching everything happen from outside his body once the reality of the situation hit him. He was sitting with his wife, singer Lauren Hashian, and squeezed her hand. After it was over, Hashian urged him to talk to Nolan about what happened.

Just got a look at the trailer for Benny Safdie’s new film, The Smashing Machine, and it looks intense! Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are leading the cast, and judging by the trailer, this one’s going to be a wild ride. Mark your calendars – it hits theaters October 3rd.

— UFC (@ufc) April 29, 2025

Johnson shared that he immediately hugged and kissed the man on the cheek, simply saying, “Thank you.” The man replied that he was sincere, calling Johnson’s performance both incredibly moving and the best of the year. Overwhelmed, Johnson hugged him again, feeling unable to say anything more.

For Johnson, Nolan’s praise meant a lot – it proved his effort in playing Kerr was worthwhile. He said even though the movie didn’t have a huge opening weekend, being recognized by such a respected director like Nolan made the whole experience incredibly memorable.

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2025-11-13 11:15