Dwayne Johnson insists 'nothing extreme' about his weight loss following concerns
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has insisted he's not gone to 'extreme' lengths to lose weight amid concerns from his fans.
The WWE superstar is known for playing the tough guy with, let's face it, a lack of character depth in many of his previous titles.
But this looks like it's changing, with Johnson looking to diversify the roles he takes up in Hollywood, starting with him playing MMA legend Mark Kerr in upcoming sports biopic The Smashing Machine.
The dramatic role, which involved Johnson covering some of the more emotional moments of the American sports legend, earned the 53-year-old a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month.
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However, people were shocked when the usually buff and stacked actor appeared with a leaner build in the public eye.
His old physique required a lot of training and dedication, including an 8,000-calorie diet, so what made him put all of that behind him?
Speaking to LADbible group, 'The Rock' explained his dramatic weight gain and loss in recent months, saying: "I gained 30 pounds to play Mark Kerr and then came back down after that to my normal weight of around 250(lbs) or so.
"Now I'm in the process of slimming down where I play a 70-something year-old man. So the slimming down is happening," he revealed.
Apparently, it's in order to play 'the Chicken Man' in an upcoming film titled Lizard Music, which, like The Smashing Machine, will be directed by Benny Safdie.
The film is an adaptation of the 1976 novel of the same name, with Johnson even telling Safdie that 'I am your Chicken Man', after the director pitched the title to him.
Speaking more about his weight loss, he pointed out: "We have time to do it, which is really nice,
"There's nothing extreme about it. I can't wait, because, again, it's the opportunity that I have where I can immerse myself into something and disappear."
He described the weight gain as 'hard' and 'challenging', noting: "I put on five pounds here, 10 pounds there, for roles in the past, but 30 because Mark was so much, in a way, bigger, and his body was built differently... you realise it's actually so hard."
The Fast and Furious star added that you have to watch everything you eat, with salt intake taking precedent, getting to the point where you 'pull the salt and water'.
Many fans are curious if the legendary wrestler is planning to stay at his new physique, though Johnson said that it simply depends on upcoming projects.
He explained: "It's a new side to access and explore, but it's been there the whole time. I just haven't put myself in a position where I could do it...
"I had this little voice in behind my rib cage saying, 'Hey, you can do more. There is more' — but then there's a little uncertainty. Can I do more?"
Johnson went on to speak about being in the 'comfort zone' and even questioned if he should 'rock the boat' at all.
"It makes a lot of people happy, and I'm happy, but am I really happy when I know there's more? So it converged nicely where I felt like I was ready to just break out and rip and tear it all away of any expectation or infrastructure," he added.
The Jumanji actor also took time to praise Safdie, pointing out that: "I felt like Benny came along and we came into each other's lives at the same time', claiming that 'it's his time to rip it all away and go be him'.
He also took time to speak about the director's 'signature' vision when it comes to filmmaking, further praising their connection and relationship.
THE SMASHING MACHINE opens in theatres in the US and UK on 3 October.
Interview conducted by Niamh Shackleton.
Topics: Celebrity, Dwayne Johnson, Film, Health
Joshua Nair