Last year, there was a reasonable possibility that Dwayne Johnson would earn an Oscar nomination. The 54-year-old actor played MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the biopic ‘The Smashing Machine‘ by Benny Safdie. The critics praised the actor’s performance, calling it award-worthy. But despite all of Johnson’s talent and passion, the project didn’t gain major commercial success.
Safdie was honored as Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, while Dwayne Johnson received his first nomination for Best Actor at the Golden Globes. Yet, the film didn’t win any Oscars, leaving a sour taste in the actor’s mouth.
The Sting Of The Academy Oversight
During his recent chat with Esquire, Johnson weighed in on his Oscar snub. “It would have been incredible to get nominated for an Oscar. I realized very quickly that it’s a rare thing to reach this pinnacle where you’re even having these conversations,” he said.
Related: Why Hollywood Ordered Dwayne Johnson to Drop ‘The Rock’ Moniker
“And it’s exciting! It would have been amazing. I wish it [had] happened. But it didn’t,” Johnson added. The lack of acknowledgment is especially disappointing considering the amount of work the actor had to do to play this character.
The 98th Academy Awards, held earlier this year, included Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Wagner Moura, Ethan Hawke, and Michael B. Jordan in the Best Actor category. For a man of action such as Johnson, simply watching other people win couldn’t be an acceptable solution.
As Johnson himself admitted, he will try not to fall back on playing just box-office winners. This rejection has inspired the actor to take his career to the next level. “In no uncertain terms did I ever think, Oh, that doesn’t matter,” he said. “I always thought it mattered. And it has lit a fire in my spine.”
Dwayne Johnson Is Mapping A Prestigious New Frontier
Dwayne Johnson already has two blockbuster movies planned for this year—Disney’s ‘Moana’ and the third installment in his ‘Jumanji’ series. In the same interview, he revealed that he’s preparing to enter a new cinematic dimension and is currently working on three major films.
In Case You Missed It: Kevin Hart Refuses To Fight His Co-Star Dwayne Johnson Over Hollywood’s Top Spot
Apart from another collaboration with Benny Safdie, Johnson is developing a project together with filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Martin Scorsese. While he kept information about these projects under wraps, their mere existence speaks volumes.
Speaking of his work on ‘The Smashing Machine,’ Safdie said he was impressed by the actor’s knowledge of cinema. He said, “[I could] talk about Jimmy Stewart’s performance in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and relate it to Mark Kerr, and Dwayne knows exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I realized I could ask Dwayne to do anything,” Safdie added. Choosing auteur filmmakers reflects that Dwayne Johnson is indeed ready for a major career shift and no longer considers playing in standard Hollywood productions.
You Might Also Like To Read: Dwayne Johnson’s Acclaimed MMA Drama ‘The Smashing Machine’ Finally Hits Japanese Theaters
