Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival after a screening of The Smashing Machine.
The 53-year-old, who showed up in Italy slimmer than ever before, wiped away a lot of tears as the crowd gave a rousing approval of his portrayal of former UFC star Mark Kerr.
“Variety’s co-editor in chief Ramin Setoodeh wrote that this was the most emotion they have seen since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign in the same place four years ago for the movie The Whale.
Johnson was flanked by his co-star Emily Blunt and director Benny Safdie.
The Smashing Machine movie has received rave reviews from critics, especially Johnson, who “rocked” his role of Kerr.
Dwayne Johnson weeps during the 15-minute #Venezia2025 standing ovation for ‘The Smashing Machine.’ This was the most emotion we’ve since on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here four years ago for ‘The Whale.’ pic.twitter.com/BzAjB4v6uk
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 1, 2025