How Emily Blunt helped Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine journey

It seems Emily Blunt might just have a hidden talent for spotting the best potential in people.

According to Far Out magazine, the Oppenheimer actress played a pivotal role in helping Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson secure what many are calling the most emotionally demanding role of his acting career.

Blunt and Johnson first struck up a friendship back in 2017 while filming Disney’s Jungle Cruise and the actress saw something more in her charismatic co-star.

Johnson had already acquired the rights for the Mark Kerr biopic, the legendary MMA and UFC fighter and director Benny Safdie tentatively agreed to direct the film, but delays from the pandemic left it in limbo.

Years later, during a phone chat with Blunt, Johnson opened up about how much he wanted to star in a film version of Kerr’s life, as per Variety.

“You must make this movie,” she reportedly told Johnson.

At the time, Blunt was filming Oppenheimer with none other than Safdie himself. She mentioned her conversation with her Jungle Cruise co-star.

As it turned out, Safdie had sent Johnson a gift way back when they had first started talking about the project, a shirt that Kerr had worn in the ring that never showed up.

“Benny thought I ghosted him, and maybe I was just a f***in’ asshole,” Johnson  admitted in an interview. “I felt so bad.”

Not only did Blunt ensure that the film got made, but she also landed herself a role in it as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples.

The Smashing Journey, which tells the story of Kerr’s rise and fall in the brutal world of combat sports, is slated for release on October 3, 2025.