Dwayne Johnson could receive Oscar nomination for Mark Kerr biopic 'The Smashing Machine, says UFC CEO Dana White
Dana White has nothing but praise for Dwayne Johnson. White even boldly claimed that Johnson could get an Oscar nomination for his upcoming movie role.
Johnson is currently preparing for his next film, 'Smashing Machine', in which he portrays former UFC heavyweight Mark Kerr. The movie focuses on Kerr's MMA career in the 1990s and his struggle with painkiller addiction. The former UFC fighter won two heavyweight tournaments during his time with the promotion, before suffering from an overdose.
The nickname 'The Smashing Machine' refers to Kerr, who became famous for his vicious and forceful fighting style.
Johnson has a reputation for staying in great physical shape but never stops pushing the limits as he gets older. 'The Rock' has posted multiple updates on social media. Based on the photographs so far, it appears like the WWE superstar is taking his role extremely seriously.
In a recent interview, the UFC CEO was questioned about Johnson's role in the movie by Collider. White complimented Johnson, saying the former wrestler-turned-actor was giving the film his all. Johnson recently sustained an elbow injury while filming, which is proof of that.
White thinks the veteran actor might be nominated for an Oscar. Despite having acted for many years Johnson has never received an Academy Award nomination. The 54-year-old thinks things might change if the wrestler does well in Kerr's biopic. He said:
''I don’t know if you saw it, but he was showing on his Instagram the other day that he messed up his elbow. The Rock’ will kill this. He will nail this role. I know how serious he’s taking this, I know who’s working with him, and I know how hard he’s working on this film. I think that this could be the opportunity for ‘The Rock’ to actually be nominated for an Oscar.'' H/t: Collider]
Dwayne Johnson would have performed well in UFC, according to Dana White
Dana White believes that Dwayne Johnson would have done well in the UFC. The company has an agreement with 'The Rock', which means that all UFC competitors wear the actor's signature Under Armour sneakers at the promotion's events.
During a past appearance on Pit Stops with Cooper Manning, the UFC CEO was asked how 'The Rock' would have performed in UFC. He answered:
"Oh, I think if 'The Rock' started training when he was a younger guy, he would have done really well."