After receiving a rapturous reception at the Venice premiere for *The Smashing Machine*, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to the stage in Toronto on Sunday to discuss his upcoming collaboration with director Benny Safdie on *Lizard Music*. “I’m your Chicken Man,” Johnson recalled with a grin, recounting how he responded after Safdie pitched him for 45 minutes on reuniting for *Lizard Music* following the completion of *The Smashing Machine*.
Their next joint venture is an adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater’s beloved children’s novel, centering on a young boy who finds himself entangled with a group of intelligent lizard musicians who reveal to him a clandestine alien invasion from outer space. Johnson enthusiastically described *Lizard Music* as a “whimsical” film, in which a boy stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing music, only to discover a hidden door leading him to meet the enigmatic Chicken Man—a role Johnson will bring to life.
The Rock is currently in Toronto for the North American premiere of *The Smashing Machine*, where he portrays the real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr. “I’ve been craving something like this for so long,” Johnson confessed during an intimate conversation at TIFF held at the Royal Alexandra Theater, expressing his desire to tackle a role driven by creative ambition rather than simply catering to his massive fanbase with another Hollywood blockbuster.
Johnson detailed the rigorous physical transformation required to embody Mark Kerr. “He had this rare, almost mythical physique—a man who was utterly dominant as a wrestler, blessed with all these explosive fast-twitch muscles, yet still carrying the weight of a heavyweight,” he recalled. To capture Kerr’s essence, Johnson explained, he needed to gain significant weight while developing muscle groups beyond his usual frame to mimic Kerr’s agility in the ring. “He’s still an absolute beast, but with such a gentle, soft-spoken demeanor,” Johnson added, noting that Kerr himself would be attending the Toronto premiere.
Reflecting on his own journey from professional wrestling to Hollywood stardom—a path echoing that of his late Canadian father, Rocky Johnson, a WWE Hall of Famer—Johnson shared poignant memories. “I think about my dad, about the complicated relationship we had, but how life has a way of coming full circle,” he said, his voice tinged with emotion after arriving in Toronto. Born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson began his wrestling career in 1964, performing in and around Toronto.
Johnson’s trajectory from the wrestling ring to Hollywood has been marked by iconic roles in *The Scorpion King*, star turns in the *Fast & Furious* franchise, the *Jumanji* series, and Disney blockbusters like *Moana* and *Jungle Cruise*. “I remember being that kid who was just taking a leap of faith. Jumping off a cliff, literally—that’s what really launched my career,” Johnson told the TIFF audience after a clip from *The Scorpion King* played, showcasing action sequences filmed in the Sahara desert. “From ‘action’ to ‘cut,’ I fell in love. I was bitten by the acting bug,” he said, describing the moment he knew he’d found his calling. At the same time, Johnson admitted it took years before he felt ready to tackle a more serious, nuanced role like the one in *The Smashing Machine*. “I’d been waiting for something like this, but it took all that time to get here,” he added.
Beyond acting, Johnson has carved out a role as a producer and co-owner of Seven Bucks Productions, which he launched in 2021 with partner Dany Garcia. “We loved movies, and if you love movies, you want to be part of creating them in any way you can,” he said of the production company’s name, a nod to his early struggle to break into professional football. After being cut from the Calgary Stampeders roster in the Canadian Football League (CFL)—a stepping stone he’d hoped would lead to the NFL—Johnson recalled returning to Florida at 22 years old, checking his pockets to find just $7. “We all get knocked down. Everyone goes through that,” he reflected, also expressing gratitude to former Stampeders coach Wally Buono (now with the B.C. Lions) for inadvertently paving his path to Hollywood success by cutting him from the team.
Joining Johnson on stage in Toronto were co-stars Emily Blunt and writer/director Safdie. “When I first met Dwayne, I saw this whirlwind behind his eyes. There’s this incredible magnetism that draws you in, but there’s also a depth of complex emotions just waiting to surface,” Safdie said, explaining his eagerness to collaborate with Johnson. “We sat under an umbrella and just talked, shared our souls. I was struck by how different he was from what I’d imagined,” Blunt recalled, echoing Safdie’s sentiment after working with Johnson on *Jungle Cruise* in Hawaii and discovering the vulnerability beneath his larger-than-life persona.
