Dwayne Johnson discusses the impact of weight loss on his career following a transformation that left fans deeply worried

In a conversation with UNILAD, Dwayne Johnson talked about his recent changes

Dwayne Johnson is stepping away from his typical roles and entering a new phase of his acting career.

Famous for films like Jumanji, Moana, Black Adam, and the Fast & Furious series, Johnson has appeared in numerous movies throughout his career — but there's often a recurring theme in his past roles, which is that he's essentially portraying himself.

This wasn't the case for The Smashing Machine, Johnson's latest project, which is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 3.

In this eagerly awaited film, Johnson portrays former wrestler and MMA veteran Mark Kerr. Although Johnson shares some traits with the UFC icon, he had to use prosthetics in the movie, making him nearly unrecognizable.

His transformation extended beyond makeup, as Johnson was required to gain 30 pounds to match Kerr's physique, as requested by The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie.

In a conversation with UNILAD about when he realized he needed to ask Johnson to gain more weight, Safdie remarked, "I wondered, how do I ask Dwayne to get bigger?"

Mark's muscles have a certain puffiness to them. It took a long time to achieve that look because it's not easy muscle to develop; it's really challenging to do."

Safdie, renowned for directing Uncut Gems, and acting in films like Oppenheimer and Licorice Pizza, described Johnson's transformation into Kerr as 'insane'.

Safdie and Johnson are teaming up again for a new movie called Lizard Music, based on the book by Daniel Pinkwater.

For this role, Johnson has once more committed to transforming into his character and has already lost a significant amount of weight to portray a 70-year-old man.

But why is Johnson losing so much weight in a transformation that has left some fans concerned, instead of opting for less challenging roles or using CGI to alter his appearance?

Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie are collaborating on a new film

The reason is that he aims to 'immerse' himself in his characters and 'disappear'.

Talking about his weight fluctuations, Johnson told UNILAD: "I gained 30 pounds to play Mark Kerr and then returned to my usual weight of around 250."

"I'm currently in the process of losing weight to portray a 70-year-old man, so the weight loss is underway."

He added: "We have the time to do it, which is really nice. There's nothing extreme about it."

"I'm excited because it's another chance to fully immerse myself and disappear."

Regarding how these transformations affect his acting career, Johnson mentioned that they help him step out of his 'comfort zone' by taking on films like The Smashing Machine and Lizard Music.

Johnson now aims to 'disappear' into his acting roles (A24)

"I felt ready to break free and tear away all expectations or structures," he expressed, "and I felt like Benny came into my life at just the right time. It's his time to break free and be himself."

Johnson added: "It's a new aspect to explore, but it's always been there. I just hadn't positioned myself to do it until now. It all came together in this way."

"I had this small voice inside me saying, 'Hey, you can do more. There's more out there.'"

THE SMASHING MACHINE opens in theaters in the US and UK on October 3.