Transcription
Oh my gosh. You look great, bud. Welcome. Thank you. Good to see you. Good to see you guys. Yeah. They love you. Good to see you.
"I can't wait to talk about your new film, 'The Smashing Machine,' but first, I always have to ask, how's mom doing?"
"Oh, man, my mom is great. I love her so much. She's great. My mom loves you. My mom and Jimmy go way, way back."
"Yeah, we do. We've hung out. Yeah, she's the coolest, she's the cutest, and she's the most talented. She plays the ukulele."
"Well, not only does she play the ukulele, but she brings the ukulele everywhere she goes."
"She does?"
"And she would make you guys get up and start --"
"Can you bring mom next time you come on?"
"She would love that."
"Right?"
"I love -- Mom, I want to invite you. Come on the show, please?"
"She's the best."
"She is."
"If not that, then in a video, then. I'll settle for a video of mom."
"I was going to say, easy, Jimmy."
"I'm sorry. Yeah, yeah. And how's your daughters?"
"Oh, daughters are great. Simone, who's 24 -- I had her with me in Europe. Her and her partner, Tatiana. Oh, it was beautiful. So cool to spend time there. My 7-year-old. I got all daughters. I'm a girl dad. My 7-year-old, the light of my life. My 9-year-old, Jazzy, just had her first flag-football game."
"Ooh!"
"Yeah. And she's super-fast, she's an athlete, and she plays wideout, but she also blocks. And, you know, she does those crackback blocks. So she wound up crack-backing one of the players and kind of pushing him down and, like --"
"Oh, my gosh."
"Yeah. And then, so, she came to me. I was on the sidelines, because I'm that dad and I'm, like, right there. And she comes over and she's like, 'You know, the coach told me not to push anybody down like that.' And I said, 'Who told you that, honey?' She said, 'The other coach over there on the other team.' I said, 'Listen, you push them down and you keep them down.'"
"Wow! That's what I'm talking -- Yes!"
[Cheers and applause]
"That's what I'm talking about. Let's talk about 'The Smashing Machine.'"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to read a couple of reviews here. You can plug your ears if you want to."
"Uh-oh."
"'Variety' says, 'Dwayne Johnson is a revelation.' That's 'Variety.'"
[Cheers and applause]
"Mashable says, 'Dwayne Johnson delivers a career-changing performance.'"
"Wow."
"[Cheers and applause]"
"BBC says, 'Dwayne Johnson is Oscar-worthy in his new film'! Come on, bud!"
"Come on, man."
[Cheers and applause]
"Thank you. 'The Smashing Machine' received a 15.5-minute standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival. Man, oh, man. What did that --"
"[Cheers and applause]"
"Oh, thank you."
"I saw that online."
"Thank you. Oh, my God, that was so -- That was emotional. I was really emotional for that."
"It was moving."
"Yeah, it really was, because, you know, you make this film, 'The Smashing Machine,' with -- not attached to an outcome or a response. So I'm not -- It's all new stuff to me, and that's the truth. And, so, I went over there to Venice Film Festival. And we're in competition, and I'm floating as it is. And then, you know, I get there on Saturday, and the premiere of 'Smashing Machine' is on Monday. And we're in Venice, and I'm looking through my phone at these other movies that are debuting and that are getting these standing ovations, like five minutes and six minutes and 10 minutes. And I'm thinking, 'God, I don't -- Are we going to get a minute or anything?'"
"Yes."
"I thought, 'Do I have to clap for myself?' Like, kind of slow-clapping."
"Yeah."
"And there's cards at the end of our movie before the credits roll, and one of the cards says -- You know, it says before this, 'These fighters today, they make millions of dollars, and everyone knows their name, but his name was Mark Kerr.' That place -- I have chills -- erupted for 15.5 minutes, and before the credits even rolled and the lights come on and I'm crying. I'm trying to clear my tears away. And Emily's crying, and we're just -- Benny Safdie, our director, was crying. And by the way, Mark Kerr, who I sat next to, watching -- And this is his life. And he's a big guy, and our bodies are here. And he was shaking the whole time. It's a very intense, emotional film. And I was so happy for him, for Mark, because it was his validation that despite your struggles, despite the fact you overdosed twice and you're still here, he's lucky to be alive, things turned out okay, and you are an inspiration to everybody. So that's what that applause meant. Yeah."
[Cheers and applause]
"Mark Kerr."
"Mark Kerr is unbelievable."
"Congrats on this."
"Thank you."
"Your performance is amazing. Some people work their whole careers to get a performance like this. You did it, bud. You got the great reviews. You were amazing. I didn't -- I know it's you, but I didn't recognize you. You had a different accent. You had prosthetics on."
"I did, yes. So we had a physical transformation and certainly an emotional transformation and a vocal transformation, too, as well. But I did -- There was about 22 prosthetics from Kazu Hiro, who was our Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup artist."
"Yeah. Amazing guy."
"22 prosthetics. I had to put on 30 pounds of -- Just over 30 pounds of muscle, which is -- which, by the way, what you realize is, I wish -- You know how you have some actors -- and they're our friends -- who say, 'Hey, I had to put on weight. I went to McDonald's every day.'"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Mark Kerr had, like, just this quality of muscle, like, fast-twitch-quality muscle, because he was a wrestler."
"Yeah."
"And I had to still put on this weight, still be able to move like an MMA fighter. And it was about 30 pounds."
"But you had to put on different -- It's, like, your shoulders?"
"Well, he -- Mark Kerr, his silhouette was just -- And being a wrestler, always going in for the double-leg takedowns, and lifting guys up, he had these massive shoulders. His neck was huge, his chest, his quads. I mean, he was -- It was a lot. And, by the way, our writer/director, Benny Safdie, who you know --"
"Oh, I love Benny Safdie."
"He's the best. And he said to me, 'Hey, D.J., I don't know how to tell you this and I don't know if you've ever heard this.' He goes, 'You're going to have to get bigger.'"
[Laughter]
"Yeah, believe it or not, dude."
"And I went, 'Okay, here we go.'"
"And Benny won for Best Director."
"Yeah. So, we have our debut in Venice Film Festival and we get that incredible 15.5-minute ovation and then we go home. And Benny is one of these guys. He texts like he talks, right? You know those kind of people, right?"
"Exactly."
"And, so, he texts me and he goes, 'Well, I'm going back to Venice.' Dot, dot, dot. 'And I don't know why.' Dot, dot, dot. And then he winds up winning Best Director of all the Venice Film Festival."
"Yeah."
[Cheers and applause]
"Yeah. He won."
"He won it."
"How did you end up working with Benny Safdie? I love his work."
"Oh, my God. So, we -- I had just watched -- I love his work, too. I just watched 'Uncut Gems' in 2019 and I went to Benny and I said, 'Hey, I got this idea called 'The Smashing Machine,' and it's based off a documentary. Based on your auteur style of being a director and how bold I think you are, I think you'd be great at directing this and writing it.' And then we agreed to do it, and then COVID hit. So, unbeknownst to me, Benny -- When you guys see the movie, there's a yellow Nautica sweater that's one of these iconic sweaters from Nautica that Mark Kerr's wearing in the documentary. Benny, in 2019, once we agree to make 'The Smashing Machine,' he finds the sweater online, triple-X, sends it to me with a written letter and said, 'I am going to be so honored to work with you. Wear this and you will become Mark Kerr. Here's your inspiration as an actor.' Well, I never got the sweater and I never got the letter, so he thought I ghosted him. And he's like, 'God, D.J.'s such an [bleep] I thought we were gonna.'"
"'I never heard from this guy.'"
"And I never heard from him again and I was like, 'Wow, what happened? I thought we were going to make this thing.'"
"No way."
"And then, lo and behold, he's working with Emily Blunt on 'Oppenheimer.' And he goes, 'Hey, you're good friends with D.J.' And Emily said, 'Yeah, he's one of my best friends.' And he said, 'Did he ever get the sweater I sent him? Could you ask him?' So she asked me. She goes, 'Hey, are you guys working together?' I said, 'Well, we had this project called 'Smashing Machine.' I think it could be really cool.' She goes, 'I'm going to connect you guys.' She connected us via text. I was like, 'Brother, I never got the sweater.' He's like, 'I don't know what happened to it, but let's do this together, 'Smashing Machine.'' And we make this movie with Emily Blunt, and we're here on Fallon, talking to you and talking to you, and it's great."
"Yeah, come on, bud. It is..."
[Cheers and applause]
"Oh, yeah."
"This is you. This is Dwayne as Mark Kerr right there. Yeah, I mean, just a beast."
"He was a beast of a man."
"Yeah. And these fighting scenes, by the way, I don't know -- Obviously, you're gonna tell me the answer. I don't know it to this point. They seem real."
"Okay. So, Benny had -- Yes."
"Like, did you get punched?"
"Yes, dude. Yes. So, Benny has this motto before we started shooting, which was 'As real as it gets. Let's make it as real as it gets.' And then he said to me -- He goes, 'I would love, in these fighting scenes, to never cut away from you. And I would like to not use your stunt double.' Well, I know what that means. That means I'm getting my ass kicked."
"Yeah."
"And I'm getting rocked. And I said, 'Absolutely. Let's do it.' And, aside from putting on the 30 pounds of Mark Kerr muscle, I went through a three-month training camp -- MMA fighters, MMA coaches, as well, because I really had to look the part. And there's a --"
"A totally different style, MMA."
"There's a scene at the end where -- And this happened in real life. Mark Kerr is in Japan. He's fighting in front of 30,000 people and he's fighting against a fighter named Fujita. Mark Kerr is on all fours. Fujita is just wailing away on him. Mark Kerr is not moving. But the camera's right there in this documentary, and he's with it. He's not knocked out. He's not loopy. He's just like this and he's taking every hit. And I said to Benny, 'Are we going to -- That's how we're going to shoot this scene?' He goes, 'Yes.' So I told our fighter who I was fighting --"
"Why did I bring that up? Yeah."
"I know. Thanks, Jimmy. My jaw is still not the same. But I said to our fighter -- I said, 'Hey, brother, I know it sounds crazy, but you got hit me. You have to hit me.' And he is a Japanese fighter, very respectful. He goes, 'No, no, no. I will not hit you.' He refused to hit me, and I finally said, 'Please, we have one shot at this. You must hit me.' And Benny came over and said, 'You must hit him.' But then he said, 'I know you respect D.J., but I know you respect the fight that actually happened with Mark Kerr in Japan. Let's keep our integrity and whale away.' So you'll see in the movie, he's rocking me over and over and over again."
"It was like, 'How is this --'"
"I go, I have to ask you, because it was intense."
"It was wild. So, after that fight, you see me, and I'm kind of -- I look like I'm loopy. That's because I had a concussion."
"Yeah. Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. But it's the thing you got to do, you realize, because if you're going to make an MMA movie, you got to go all the way, and that's what we did with this."
"You got to play the part."
"You have to, man, yeah."
"And then here -- Can you explain this photo here? This is --"
"Oh, yeah."
"This is -- You're inducting Mark Kerr into the UFC Hall of Fame."
"Yeah."
"I mean, that's great."
"Oh, it was amazing. We were down in Vegas, and Mark got inducted into the Hall of Fame. And, you know, here's the thing. He -- For you guys who aren't familiar with Mark Kerr, there was a documentary about his life in the mid-2000s, early-to-mid-2000s. At the end of that documentary, he loses and he loses everything, and the documentary ends. And so you think for a guy like that like, 'Wow, for the last 20-something years, that's my legacy. Like, that's what my legacy is.' So it was such a cool honor. I called Dana White, who's been a longtime friend of mine, and I said, 'What do you think, brother? Do you think -- is this possible?' And he's like, 'Yes, it is possible. And for everything that Mark Kerr has done for our sport and being one of the godfathers, it'd be an honor for us to induct him into the Hall of Fame.' So that was a really special moment."
"That's his legacy now. Come on."
"That's his legacy now."
"That's his legacy now."
"Yeah. Hall of Fame."
"Hall of Fame."
"Alright, how do we set up where we are in this scene here in Mark Kerr's life?"
"Yeah, so, right now, with Mark Kerr's life, we're -- Our movie takes place in about a three-year period, and it was at a time where Mark, at that time, like Mike Tyson at his height, he was undefeated and he was the greatest MMA fighter on the planet. And he never lost, until this moment, which you'll see in this scene. And he was widely feared. He was completely dominant. But he also -- The anchor of his life was the love of his life. Dawn Staples was his girlfriend, played by the great Emily Blunt. And they had this volcanic relationship. And we've all been there. We all know. You get behind closed doors with your loved ones, things can change instantly, and you have these very raw fights, as Emily and I did, as Mark and Dawn did in their life. And you guys will see in this clip, he's fighting his big fight in Japan, and his girlfriend, Dawn, shows up, and he invited her. But like a lot of fighters, when they get in that zone, it's hard for them to break out of it. And, unfortunately, sometimes, when you get in that zone, you treat people who love you the most -- you treat them the worst, and that's what happens."
"Oh, gosh. I want to show everyone a clip. Here's Dwayne Johnson in 'The Smashing Machine.' Take a look at this."
"You made me feel so [bleep] stupid coming in here. It's like you guys were talking [bleep] or something. I [bleep] flew halfway across the globe. You asked me to come! I said, 'Thank you.' Oh, yeah? And then you acted like a [bleep] dick in front of your friend. Don't call me next time. 'Please, Dawn, come.' I'm lonely.' [Bleep] you! I'm trying to focus. It has nothing to do with you. Can you say hello to me? Dawn, it has nothing to do with you. You don't even have time to say hello? It has nothing to do with you. I just -- I just don't want to fight. Not now. Please! Would it be easier if I punched you in the face? Yes, punch me in the [bleep] face. Could we communicate then? Punch me in the [bleep] face. Punch me in the [bleep] face. The biggest night of my life. Punch me in the [bleep] face."
"[Knock on door]"
"Come in."
"Sumimasen. I'm so sorry. We are ready for downstairs. Please, just come with me."
"Yeah. Thank you. You're out of [bleep] control."
"I'm sorry."
[Cheers and applause]
"Oh, gosh."
"Yeah, that's really amazing."
"You look great."
"Thank you, brother. By the way, that Emily -- she is just a force."
"Emily Blunt. Come on. Oh, my God, that's amazing."
"A force."
"Before you go, I just wanted to apologize, because the last time you were here, things got a little out of control with us."
"You should apologize."
"I am sorry. I'm really sorry. Because I know we're friends, and things got a little heated. And I thought that you were going to do the same thing I was going to do, but I didn't know that you weren't. But I'll show you."
"Yeah, I didn't know I was either. I didn't -- [Bleep]"
"No, but here's a clip from Dwayne's last appearance on the show."
"Bunch of [bleep --"
"Here you go. No, come on."
"[Laughs] Oh!"
"Dude... I apologize. Wow! That was a --"
"What in the blue [bleep] just --"
"I covered you in feathers. I didn't know -- I thought -- You had a breakaway pillow."
"Yeah, is that what you thought?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"So, mine break away, and, unfortunately, I left with nothing on me."
"Well, listen, here's the thing. You know me. We've known each other for 20 years. I forgive."
"Thank you."
"I forgive, I forgive."
"Thank you."
"But I don't forget. So... Got a little pillow."
[Cheers and applause]
"Uh-huh."
"I got a little pillow. But, you know, here's the thing. Because I don't forget, I think I'm going to need a little help. So, ladies and gentlemen, the real smashing machine, Mr. Mark Kerr."
[Cheers and applause]
♪♪
"What?!"
"Yo! It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure."
"Come on over here."
[Cheers and applause]
"Mark, shall we... What do you think? You got my back."
"I got your back all the time."
"Shall we?"
"Yeah, shall."
"Shall we? Shall we?"
"Yeah."
[Cheers and applause]
"I deserve it."
"You do deserve it."
"I deserve it."
"3, 2, 1..."
[Cheers and applause]
♪♪
"Dwayne Johnson, everybody. 'The Smashing Machine' hits theaters this Friday. We'll be right back with more 'Tonight Show.' Mark Kerr. Stick around."