Forget Mark Kerr—Dwayne Johnson Takes His Cues From a $300 Million Sports Icon He Met
Dwayne Johnson may be the ultimate motivator, but even he has a hero. In a candid Vogue interview, he reveals the one athlete, living or dead, he’d want to learn from.
Even the Rock has heroes. In a new Vogue interview, Dwayne Johnson got asked a simple but loaded question: if he could learn from any athlete, living or dead, who would it be? His answer was not a wrestler, not even the guy he just played in a movie. He went straight to Serena Williams.
Johnson picks Serena Williams, and the reasoning tracks
Johnson said he gravitates toward athletes who do more than stack trophies. He loves the ones who rewrite the sport itself. For him, Serena checks every box: she broke barriers, changed how tennis is played and talked about, and did all of it with that relentless, hungry focus. He has met Serena and Venus in person, which clearly sealed the deal for him.
Prepping The Smashing Machine turned into real-life brotherhood
Even though Serena is his pick, The Smashing Machine still left a mark on him. Johnson did not just study Mark Kerr from the sidelines; he trained with the MMA legend. That time in the gym gave him a feel for Kerr’s power, mindset, and the way he carries himself. On Instagram, Johnson called Kerr a flat-out powerhouse who can still close distance with scary speed, and he made a point of thanking him for the knowledge he shared — and for the bond they built. You can feel Johnson trying to honor not just the victories in Kerr’s story, but the hard chapters too. It reads less like actor and subject, more like teammates who went through something together.
The on-screen transformation got the ultimate thumbs-up
According to ESPN, Kerr’s son, Bryce, saw The Smashing Machine in New York and called his dad right after, speaking quietly like he was still processing it. He told Kerr that Johnson had nailed the walk, the voice, the whole presence — and then went further.
'Dad, he walks like you. He looks like you. He talks like you... Dad, he’s even got your heart.'
For Kerr, that was the confirmation. Johnson was not just mimicking; he understood the guy. Critics and audiences took notice too, even if the movie itself played to a niche crowd at the box office.
The Smashing Machine: quick cheat sheet
- Director: Benny Safdie
- Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
- Runtime: 2h 3m
Box office reality check: it only pulled in about $21M (via Box Office Mojo). If you want to judge Johnson’s transformation for yourself, The Smashing Machine is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.