EMILY BLUNT

September 4, 2025

Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine
Venice Dispatch Ticket
Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine

Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Words by JANE CROWTHER


Though Benny Safdie’s Venice hit The Smashing Machine centres on the experience of real-life UFC champ Mark Kerr, the key to the story – according to the actor portraying him, Dwayne Johnson – is the relationship between Mark and his girlfriend, Dawn Staples, played with a perma-tan and acrylic nails by Emily Blunt. The bond between Johnson and Blunt is also integral to the project. It was clear to see as Greg Williams joined the duo and Safdie for a pre-premiere toast at the St. Regis before riding across the Venice lagoon to debut their work at the festival. In the Grande Salle, the film was received with a fifteen-minute standing ovation and praise for both leads’ performances.

Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine
Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine

Having become ‘best friends’ while making the action-adventure Jungle Cruise, the two actors discussed next projects, with Blunt encouraging Johnson to follow his heart and ambition in breaking out of blockbusters. When they began to work on Kerr’s biopic, Blunt admits she found Johnson’s physical and emotional transformation ‘spooky’. ‘It was one of the most extraordinary things watching him disappear completely,’ she told the press on the Lido earlier in the day. Blunt’s metamorphosis was equally impressive as she spent time with her real-life counterpart. ‘I got to know Dawn well and she was very generous with her story with me,’ Blunt said. ‘There was a deep profound love and devotion they had for each other amidst an impossible environment.’

Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine

Safdie explained the process he went through with both actors to achieve the level of authenticity he was looking for. ‘Dwayne, Emily and I kept thoughts like, ‘What is it like to really be Mark Kerr? What is it like to really be Dawn Staples?’ We wanted to empathise with these characters in a way that felt like our own feelings. I ended up calling this a kind of Radical Empathy. First, because empathy should be cool, and second, because I wanted this movie to exist as a memory for everyone who watches it.’

Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine

The film will surely live in the memory of voting bodies come awards season – with Blunt entering the conversation again for another perfectly essayed performance.

Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine

Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Words by JANE CROWTHER

The Smashing Machine premiered at the Venice Film Festival
Released in cinemas 3 October
Read our review here
Emily wears Tamara Ralph gown with Tiffany & Co. jewellery

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