Interviews With "The Smashing Machine" Stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt & Prosthetic Makeup Artist Kazu Hiro

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"The Smashing Machine" is a biographical sports drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Benny Safdie, starring Golden Globe nominee Dwayne Johnson as former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, alongside Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt as Kerr's girlfriend Dawn Staples. 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 for Johnson's transformational work, brought to life by multi Academy Award-winning prosthetics designer Kazu Hiro. Johnson, Blunt, and Hiro were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with me, Cody Dericks, and Dan Bayer, respectively, about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to rent or own digitally from A24 and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories for this year's Academy Awards. 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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0:00.0	Imagine a breakfast wrap. You know the one, because there really is only one.
0:07.6	Sausage, egg, cheese, bacon and a potato rusty all wrapped together. Yep, there it is. I think my work here is done.
0:18.5	Serve them until 11 a.m.
0:19.9	You are listening to The Next Best Picture podcast, and this is my interview with the star of the Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson.
0:27.3	Followed by Cody Derrick's interview with the co-star of the Smashing Machine Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt.
0:34.6	Followed by Dan Baer's interview with Multi Academy Awardadmy Award-winning prosthetic designer, Kazu Hero.
0:39.7	Please give a round of applause for Mark Turner.
0:43.9	Hello, and thank you to everyone for allowing me to be here today.
0:50.4	How can I just let you walk away?
0:53.1	You have been extremely understanding to me dealing with my personal struggles.
0:58.3	Oh, grab it Tom.
0:59.7	Let's do it.
1:00.5	He's the best.
1:01.5	It's no way.
1:02.0	I can't write that.
1:03.5	Why?
1:04.5	Why? Because my tummy.
1:05.5	You know what that would do to my tummy.
1:06.5	I would get sick everywhere.
1:07.5	No, it's about perspective, okay?
1:10.0	Just let you leave without a trace.
1:13.0	On the inside, you don't feel it.
	...

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