Dwayne Johnson is enjoying a wealth of praise for his leading role in The Smashing Machine, the real-life story of legendary MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Following the film’s premiere at TIFF 2025, Johnson found his name thrown into Oscar gossip and speculation for the first time in his career. After a long stint in action movies and child-friendly blockbusters, it feels like this role could send him down a new path.
As the titan box office star that he is, this former pro wrestler has enjoyed massive fame and tremendous fortune, but has never received this level of critical praise for a rendition. However, The Smashing Machine isn’t actually his first dive into dramatic territory. Here are 3 movies where he flexed his thespian chops.
Walking Tall (2004)
On the surface, Walking Tall is a classic vigilante movie. Released in 2004, the film hit theaters at the pivotal moment Johnson shifted his focus from the WWE to his burgeoning acting career. With that said, there was plenty of action on display to appease his wrestling fans. However, at the movie’s core, a deep character study unravels about a man returning home from war only to find his hometown has become a battlefield overrun by crooked lawmen, drug dealers, and wayward businessmen.
Johnson stars as Chris Vaughn, the former U.S. soldier who wishes to leave chaos and bloodshed behind him. Yet this proves impossible when his young nephew falls victim to drugs. To make matters worse, the drugs were supplied by his old friend Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough). When Vaughn attempts to clean up shop, things escalate when he is brutally attacked by Hamilton’s men and left for dead. Although this is where the movie shifts into revenge territory, Johnson delivers much more than just beatdowns and justice.
What makes Johnson’s performance compelling is his portrayal of Vaughn’s fundamental internal struggle. Here’s a man who has seen enough violence to last a lifetime, yet finds himself forced to choose between his desire for peace and his responsibility to protect those he loves. Johnson effectively conveys this moral complexity through subtle moments of hesitation before action and the visible weight each violent encounter places on his character. So, while critics may consider The Smashing Machine to be Johnson’s first dramatic role, technically he showcased his abilities right at the beginning of his acting journey, just in a film that has been forgotten by most.
Gridiron Gang (2006)
Two years after Walking Tall, Dwayne Johnson demonstrated his acting prowess again with Gridiron Gang. At the time, he was still using his wrestling alias “The Rock”, arguably making it more difficult to be regarded as a serious actor. Nevertheless, this wasn’t the typical hero role many expected from the musclebound superstar. Instead, it served as the perfect ground for Johnson to serve up an understated yet powerful rendition.
In Phil Joanou‘s sports drama, Johnson stars as Sean Porter, a counselor at a juvenile detention center. With a former career in football, Porter unlocks spirit and drive from the inmates by putting together a football team, discovering untapped abilities they didn’t know they possessed. As Johnson’s career has progressed, his protagonist characters have typically solved problems through force, leading to over-the-top spectacles. While these serve a purpose, it’s hard for his acting potential to shine through. However, in Gridiron Gang, Johnson balanced firm discipline with profound empathy, proving he could effectively convey vulnerability, patience, and mentorship as a hero who champions youth, not violence and mayhem. In this way, it is his role as Sean Porter which marks his first ever full-on dramatic turn. While the Oscar gossip may be flying in for The Smashing Machine, really this is less of a surprising career pivot and more of a long-overdue recognition of abilities Johnson demonstrated nearly two decades ago.
Snitch (2013)
By 2013’s Snitch, Johnson had dropped “The Rock” moniker and was building his action movie empire. While the film certainly delivers familiar thrills, it allowed Johnson to dig deep into dramatic territory as John Matthews, a desperate father willing to infiltrate a drug cartel to save his son from a harsh prison sentence. Snitch arrived during the wave of “desperate parent” thrillers that followed Taken‘s massive success. These films tap into primal fears about protecting our children and question how far we’d go for family. Because of this trend, Snitch may have been dismissed as another formulaic entry in an oversaturated sub-genre. However, Johnson’s performance elevates the material considerably.
Unlike the confident action heroes he’d become known for, Matthews is vulnerable and clearly out of his depth. Johnson effortlessly shuttles a businessman’s terror as he navigates a world of violence and deception, driven purely by paternal love. His rendition captures the authentic desperation of an ordinary man pushed to extraordinary lengths. For viewers seeking evidence of Johnson’s dramatic capabilities, Snitch remains highly re-watchable today. The film showcases his ability to ground high-concept material in genuine emotion, demonstrating how his dramatic skills were being steadily honed and crafted long before The Smashing Machine arrived to finally earn him serious awards consideration.
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