Interview With "The Smashing Machine" Filmmaker Benny Safdie

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"The Smashing Machine" is a biographical sports drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Benny Safdie. It stars Dwayne Johnson as former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, alongside Emily Blunt as Kerr's girlfriend Dawn Staples, with Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk in supporting roles. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion and received positive reviews for the performances, notably Johnson's committed and transformational work and Safdie's re-creation of the world of MMA and the UFC during its early days. Filmmaker Safdie was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from A24. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.9	to the next best picture podcast and this is my interview with the director and writer for the
0:36.1	smashing machine bennie saffty probably looking at my eyes how'd that This is my interview with the director and writer for The Smashing Machine, Benny Safty.
0:38.3	Probably looking at my eyes.
0:40.3	How'd that happen?
0:42.3	Well, have you ever heard of the ultimate fighting championship, the UFC?
0:49.3	That's the bloody thing they're trying to ban.
0:53.3	Move right now! This guy is the best he has ever seen.
0:58.0	Do you hate each other when you fight?
1:01.0	Absolutely not.
1:05.0	How do you know Mark Kerr?
1:07.0	Oh, we go way back. But he's a buddy of mine. Come on, baby.
1:12.9	Too much?
1:13.5	Never.
1:14.5	Too much?
1:14.7	No.
	...

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