Former WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnshon grabbed the eyeballs for his physical transformation, during a public appearance last week. The wrestler-turned-actor, 53, stunned fans with his new slimmed-down built, shredding around 27 kilograms. For the unversed, he had to shed the muscles due to a drastic weight loss he underwent for his role as a former MMA fighter, Mark Kerr, in his biopic, The Smashing Machine. He received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Monday for his performance in the movie.
Photos and videos circulated on social media, where The Rock can be seen breakind down while the crowd was applauding his performance in the movies, which is set to release on October 3, 2025.
While some fans raised concerns over his transformation, others were quick to point out that he is completely fit and healthy.
Here's how the social media reacted to The Rock's physical transformation:
While speaking to the press on Monday, Johnson explained that he's been waiting for a role this rewarding for a long time.
"When you're in Hollywood - as we all know, it had become about box office. And you chase the box office, and the box office can be very loud and it can become very resounding and it can push you into a category and into a corner," he explained.
"This is your lane and this is what you do and this is what Hollywood wants you to do." he said, as quoted by the New York Post.
"I just had this burning desire and voice that was saying, 'What if there is more and what if I can?' A lot of times, it's harder for us - or at least for me - to know what you're capable of when you've been pigeonholed into something," the "Jumanji" star continued. "Sometimes it takes people that who you love and respect, like Emily and Benny, to say that you can."