Dwayne Johnson displayed his slimmed-down frame as he departed Venice Film Festival on Tuesday – following a recent weight loss transformation.
The actor, 53, known as The Rock, was there to promote his new film The Smashing Machine, which debuted at the event, alongside his co-star Emily Blunt.
Departing Italy, The Rock looked typically stylish in a grey shirt and white linen trousers as he flashed a smile.
Meanwhile actress Emily, 42, looked casually chic in a dark red dress and denim shirt.
She accessorised her look perfectly with a black leather handbag, comfortable white trainers and dark shades.
The biopic follows the life of former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, played by Dwayne, alongside Emily as Kerr’s then-wife Dawn Staples an Arizona-based recovering alcoholic who wed Mark in Las Vegas.
Dwayne Johnson displayed his slimmed-down frame as he departed Venice Film Festival on Tuesday – following a recent weight loss transformation
The Smashing Machine gave The Rock who is known for his many action roles, the opportunity to stretch himself.
In this project, he is nearly unrecognizable as mixed martial arts and UFC champion Mark Kerr.
Johnson lost about 60 pounds used prosthetics and a wig to look more like the 56-year-old former college wrestler turned MMA champ.
In the drama, Johnson not only portrays Kerr’s actions in the ring, but deals with the athlete’s struggle with substance abuse.
‘This transformation was something I was really hungry to do,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday.
‘I had been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had over the years and to make the films that I’ve made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more — I want to do more and what does that look like?”
At a press conference after the screening, Johnson had high praise for the man he portrayed on screen.
The actor, 53, known as The Rock, was there to promote his new film The Smashing Machine, which debuted at the event, alongside his co-star Emily
Meanwhile actress Emily, 42, looked casually chic in a dark red dress and denim shirt as she stepped out
She accessorised her look perfectly with a black leather handbag, comfortable white trainers and dark shades
The biopic follows the life of former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, played by Dwayne, alongside Emily as Kerr’s then-wife Dawn Staples
The Smashing Machine gave The Rock who is known for his many action roles, the opportunity to stretch himself
‘Mark was the greatest fighter in the world at one point, but this film is not even really about fighting — it’s a love story,’ he explained, becoming emotional.
‘It’s a love story about Mark and Dawn (Staples, played by Emily Blunt) in this relationship, and it’s a love story about Mark and the love that he had for the thing that he did — his struggle with trying to deliver [in the ring], his challenges and his overcoming.’
‘As you know, Mark OD’d twice,’ he told reporters, ‘and he’s lucky to be alive — and that’s part of why this story is so special.’
In June, Johnson appeared on the Dr. Mark Hyman Show explaining that he had turned to the functional medicine physician for help with a gut related problem.
‘You said, very succinctly, ‘I’m not going to treat your symptoms. I’m going to go deeper than that and treat the root cause of what’s going on,” the actor said of their first meeting, ‘And I said, ‘I love that.”
Tests showed that multiple rounds of antibiotics he had taken in the past had damaged the lining of his intestines.
‘We basically rehabbed your gut,’ Hyman said, explaining the health regimen.
‘Gave you probiotics and plant compounds – pomegranate, green tea, cranberry – to help rebuild it, ‘adding ‘And we made you this amazing gut health shake with 10-plus ingredients personalized for you.’
The Smashing Machine, which will be released on October 3, is based on John Hyams’ 2002 HBO documentary of the same name, which also captured Kerr’s substance abuse
Seen on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival premiere of their film on Monday night
