From Disney films to major Hollywood blockbuster action movies, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has slowly risen to become one of the biggest stars in the industry. However, he hasn’t been immune to criticism, often called out for playing similar roles across different projects. However, Johnson is now poised to silence his critics once and for all, as his performance in ‘The Smashing Machine’ has earned him high praise from many, including Joe Rogan.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, when the announcement of ‘The Smashing Machine’ was made, revealed that he wanted to challenge himself by portraying UFC legend Mark Kerr. For that, the 53-year-old went through a drastic physical transformation and showed versatility in his acting skills, even making Joe Rogan his fan. Here’s what the UFC commentator had to say.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson surprises Joe Rogan with his acting chops

During a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the host had MMA pioneer Mark Kerr on his show. “He really did nail it,” the UFC commentator said about Johnson’s portrayal of Kerr. Rogan revealed that while having a conversation with some of his buddies, he admitted to having no idea about the range that Johnson had as an actor, as a result of seeing him in blockbuster movies for most of his career.

While he gave ‘The Rock’ his flowers for the success he’s had in commercial films, Joe Rogan said, “I, like we’re saying in the lobby, I didn’t know ‘The Rock’ could act that well. It’s really good acting. It’s not like blockbuster movie acting, which he’s great at that. But it’s a different thing.”

Joe Rogan would also share a post on X, promoting ‘The Smashing Machine’, and he showered praise on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson once again for his work in the movie. “The Rock REALLY nailed it as Mark. Just an amazing performance,” Rogan wrote. Well, the praise is justified because Johnson went all out for this role. The former WWE star opened up about the whole ordeal prior to his movie’s screening at the Venice Film Festival.

Dwayne Johnson wanted this role “for a long time”

Despite Johnson releasing one action flick after another in the past few years, he was always looking for the kind of role he’s portraying in ‘The Smashing Machine’. Joe Rogan is not the only one who’s impressed because thousands of others have echoed the same sentiment. And guess what? Johnson has also received Oscar buzz! The Mark Kerr biopic, according to ‘The Rock’, happened because of the voice inside him.

“I have for a long time wanted this. The transformation part was something I was really hungry to do. I’ve been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had and make the films that I have, but there was just this voice inside of me, this little voice, like what if I can do more,” Dwayne Johnson stated at the Venice Film Festival. “I made those [action] movies, and I like them and they were fun. And some were really good and did well, and some not so good.”

Well, October 3rd is around the corner, and fans will finally get the taste of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s first challenging role. But given that people like Joe Rogan have loved it, there’s a high possibility that others will too. What do you think?