The Rock Seen Sporting New Slimmed Down Look (WWE News)

The Rock drops some muscle as he looks to explore new movie roles.

By Andrew Pollard /

WWE

Promoting his latest movie, The Smashing Machine, at the Venice Film Festival, WWE icon the Rock is looking notably slimmer these days.

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Of course, the Great One has spent years sporting a hulking frame that's nicely meshed with his roles in some of the biggest action pictures of the past 20 years. Now, though, Dwayne Johnson has shed some of that muscle - around 60 lbs - as he looks to somewhat reinvent himself when it comes to the Hollywood roles he's chasing.

Speaking at the Venice Film Festival press conference, Johnson said as much, noting how he's been "pigeonholed" over the years, that it's always been about chasing box office numbers, but asking himself, "what if there is more?"

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Basically, the ten-time World Champion wants to explore more challenging roles; roles where you don't need to be the jacked-up guy with the monstrous physique while explosions and guns go off all around you. Rocky also questioned whether he'd gotten to a point where he was living his dream, or was he really living the dream of others.

As for The Smashing Machine, that sees Dwayne Johnson play MMA pioneer and NCAA Division I wrestling champion Mark Kerr. Away from the fight game, Kerr has dealt with various issues over the years, from substance abuse to relationship troubles. The film, written and directed by Benny Safdie and co-starring Emily Blunt, releases through A24 on 3 October, though it had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend.

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So far, the early reviews have been incredibly positive for The Smashing Machine, with plenty of talk that Johnson may find himself in the conversation when the Academy Awards roll around in March. On top of that, the movie received a 15-minute standing ovation at Venice, with a clearly emotional Dwayne Johnson overwhelmed by that response.

Up next for Dwayne Johnson, he's been cast alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt in Martin Scorsese's currently untitled new mob movie, and he'll be playing Maui in Disney's live-action take on Moana, set for a June 2026 release.

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