Dwayne Johnson Says He’s Open to ‘Deeper’ Film Projects

Yes, you’ll still see Dwayne Johnson in action films and the upcoming Moana live-action — but you might also see him in some film projects that are much “deeper.” When speaking to GQ, the Rock reacted to a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone where he said he would prefer not to act in “darker” films.

“I don’t know who the fuck that guy is,” Johnson told GQ for their cover story. “I feel like I’ve evolved and grown. What’s evolved and changed, and I mean this respectfully because I love people, is it’s got to be for me.”

The subject matter came as he spoke about his upcoming A24 film The Smashing Machine, a biopic about wrestler Mark Kerr, directed by Benny Safdie and co-starring Emily Blunt. Unlike many of his other projects, the upcoming film is not intended for large audiences.

“Now not to say that ‘Oh, there’s no more big movies,’” Johnson told GQ, saying he was “100 percent” changing his approach to choosing projects. “Because the big movies are fun and there’s a place for them in our business for a lot of families and people around the world to enjoy them.”

“But there’s also a place for me, in my career, where the material is deeper,” he added. “It allows me to sink my teeth into something deeper, richer.”

In the 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson said he wasn’t the kind of actor to “play a borderline psychopath suffering from depression,” leaving it instead to his Oscar-winning friends.

“I have other things I can do for me. I’m gonna take care of you, the audience,” he said at the time. “You pay your hard-earned money — I don’t need to bring my dark shit to you. Maybe a little — but if it’s in there, we’re gonna overcome it, and we’re gonna overcome it together.”

The Rock is next set to appear in Red One, directed by Callum Drift. He’ll also voice Maui in Moana 2 next year and play the character in the 2026 live-action. Smashing Machine is expected in 2025.