Good on Dwayne Johnson for finally realizing that there’s more to life than just $20 million paychecks to star in rubbish blockbusters.
Last month, it was announced that Johnson would star in the A24-produced “The Smashing Machine,” which will be directed by Benny Safdie. This news turned heads, mostly because we did not expect Johnson to ever sign up for an arthouse indie.
Johnson is now telling Variety that, with his new A24 film, he’s at a point “where I want to make films that matter, that explore humanity, struggle and pain […] I’m at this point where I want more. I don’t mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity.”
Johnson’s a likeable mainstream performer who just picks incredibly bad scripts. He has charisma, presence and a real sense of playfulness, but he’s been basically coasting from paycheck to paycheck.
I’ve always said that, with the right script, Johnson can be a good actor. Beyond the muscular physique, he’s got the chops to pull it off. It’s always been a disservice to him to say that he can’t act — the problem is that he’s being stereotyped to play the same character in every movie.
His best work still remains his work as the psychotic, coked out bodybuilder Michael Bay’s “Pain and Gain,” a total guilty pleasure set in the dark underworld of Miami bodybuilding. It’s easily his best performance. I also thought Johnson was hilarious with the 10 minutes of screentime he was given in “The Other Guys.”
Other than those, has Johnson ever really stretched his talents for a meaningful or depth-filled film? I’m just looking at his filmography right now, and it hurts my eyes: “Black Adam,” “Red Notice,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Jumanji,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Skyscraper,” “Rampage,” “Baywatch,” “Central Intelligence,” “San Andreas,” “GI Joe,” “Snitch,” “Faster,” “Tooth Fairy,” “Game Plan,” “The Gridiron Gang,” “Doom.”
Such wasted potential. It does look as though he wants to now enter a new phase in his career, and I’m telling you guys right now, he has what it takes to pull it off. Best of luck.