Dwayne Johnson Explains His Rapid Weight Loss

Dwayne Johnson’s mass weight loss is a result of a physical transformation for an upcoming role, not an injury. 

The news comes after Johnson raised eyebrows at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, where he appeared a lot leaner just after completing filming for his new movie, ‘The Smashing Machine.’ Johnson, an avid MMA fan, underwent a massive transformation to portray MMA legend Mark Kerr, a role that saw him reportedly put on 30 pounds. However, the subsequent weight loss, which saw him lose over 60 pounds, was in preparation for his next role, “The Chicken Man.” He will work with The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie once again, as he eyed a new challenge. 

“A little bit of the backstory is Benny [Safdie] pitched me the movie after ‘The Smashing Machine,’ and after about 45 minutes, I said, ‘I am your chicken guy. What that means is, without giving too much away, the role that I will play is a very whimsical and eccentric 70-something-year-old man called ‘The Chicken Man,’ and his best friend is a 70-something-year-old chicken.

“I’m so excited to hopefully get a chance to transform again like I was able to do in ‘Smashing Machine.’ That’s why I’ve been slimming down, to play ‘The Chicken Man.’ I’ve been eating less chicken. This is me slimmed down. In the process of slimming down. I still have a long ways to go,” Johnson said 

The Implications

This bold move, however, carries a significant risk to his brand as “The Rock.” His muscular physique has been central to his identity. This radical departure could alienate some of his core fanbase who loved him for those roles. This calculated risk, if successful, could win him a new audience of film critics. So far, it appears to working with many tipping him for an Oscar nomination for his role as Kerr. 

The decision to reunite with director Benny Safdie could pay off. For Johnson to immediately follow up a grueling role like Mark Kerr with another physically demanding transformation for Safdie’s next film shows that The Smashing Machine was not a one-off. 

Finally, the sheer scale of Johnson’s back-to-back, rapid physical transformations sets a new benchmark for actors. He’s not just a big guy who gets bigger; he’s now shown the versatility to gain and lose a significant amount of weight in a short period for his craft. This level of dedication is what is expected of the best actors in the industry—like Christian Bale for Batman where put on mass amounts of muscle and The Machinist where he lost an extensive amount of weight.