Dwayne Johnson Reveals Christopher Nolan’s Unexpected Message After The Smashing Machine Praise
Christopher Nolan didn’t just praise 2025’s The Smashing Machine — he delivered a personal message to its star, and now Dwayne Johnson is revealing what the director told him about the film and his work.
Christopher Nolan does not hand out compliments like party favors. So when he raved about Dwayne Johnson in 2025's The Smashing Machine, it stuck. Johnson just walked through the moment, and yeah, it got emotional fast.
The moment Johnson realized it was real
In a new interview with Variety, Johnson says Nolan's praise hit him while he was sitting next to his wife. He called the whole thing inspiring. He squeezed her hand hard, she squeezed back, and she basically pushed him to go talk to Nolan.
Johnson walked over, wrapped Nolan in a big hug, even planted a quick kiss on the cheek, and could only get out a thank you. Nolan doubled down on what he'd said earlier:
'I meant what I said. You were heartbreaking, and the best performance of the year.'
Nolan had already gone public about it
This tracks with what Nolan said back in early October: he called Johnson's work 'incredible' and 'heartbreaking' and said he didn't expect to see a better performance this year. Big words, especially from Nolan.
How the movie is actually doing
The Smashing Machine hasn't exactly crushed it at the box office. It pulled in $20 million and the overall reviews have been mostly mixed. The consistent throughline, though: critics keep singling out Johnson as the standout, and his performance is expected to be in the awards conversation even if the movie itself didn't fully connect.
If you want to see what Nolan saw, The Smashing Machine is available now on digital storefronts.