Benny Safdie wanted to create ‘The Smashing Machine’ and he made a decision that would determine the authenticity of the film. Instead of having actors rehearse and perform choreographed training sequences, the director had something unusual happen on set: real coaching, captured live on camera.
Inside The Smashing Machine: Bas Rutten’s hands-on coaching for Dwayne Johnson
Bas Rutten, the UFC Hall of Famer who trained Mark Kerr in real life in the late 1990s, appears in the film as himself. What viewers see on screen does not act in the traditional sense of the word. It is Rutten who actually teaches Dwayne “The RockJohnson techniques, in which cameras roll to capture the real interaction between coach and student.
The approach came from conversations between Rutten and director Safdie. According to Rutten in his interview with Tim Wheaton of LowKick MMA, Safdie gave him the freedom to work naturally:
“Of course there was a script, but Benny said, ‘Dude, it’s you.’ So just follow the guidelines, but make it your own. Do what you would do.”
Rutten then made a conscious choice that would determine the course of the training scenes. When it came time to film sequences showcasing Kerr teaching techniques, Rutten suggested skipping the rehearsal process altogether. The reasoning was simple: real education would look more authentic than performed education.
“So when we wanted to discuss some techniques I wanted to teach him, I said, ‘Let’s not do that.’ And he says, ‘Why not?’ I say: ‘Because then I really have to teach you and you really have to pay attention. I think that comes across much better, you know. ”
The result was training footage that captured real instruction and learning moments. Rutten explained the difference it made:
“So all these scenes that you saw, you know, and there were a few more scenes that just weren’t used. But if you know, really teach him and he really pays attention, and I’ve been doing that since I’ve been teaching my crazy life.”
For Rutten, who has worked as a fighter and coach for decades, the process felt natural. Much of the training he received on set and in real life with Mark Kerr can be learned with the program www.thefightingmachine.comincluding instructional videos and an app.
The authenticity extended beyond just technique instruction. Johnson’s transformation into Kerr was so complete that Rutten found himself responding to the actor as if he were actually coaching Kerr again. In his interview with Tim Wheaton, Rutten described the uncanny accuracy of Johnson’s portrayal:
“And then with the fact that he was Mark Kerr. I mean, he just was. The way he talked, walked, laughed, smiled, cried. I mean, the mouth movements of him. I mean, he really studied that guy. So for me, but I just, I got goosebumps the first time.”
The prosthetics, cauliflower ear and mannerisms combined with the actual training environment created an experience that took Rutten back 25 years.
The film itself covers a period from 1997 to 2000, when Kerr was at the height of his fighting career. A two-time UFC heavyweight tournament champion, Kerr won both tournaments in 1997, including one fight that ended in just 17 seconds. His aggressive ground-and-pound style made him one of the most feared fighters of his time.
During this period, Kerr fought in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships, where he earned significantly more than he did in the UFC. During preparation for Pride 2000, Kerr worked with Rutten to refine his hitting and improve his overall game. That relationship is part of the emotional core of “The Smashing Machine,” alongside Kerr’s struggles with painkiller addiction and his tumultuous relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples.
The decision to film real workouts rather than staged sequences represents a commitment to authenticity that is reflected in Safdie’s approach to the project. The approach required significant preparation on Johnson’s part. He underwent months of MMA training before filming began, learning stand-up fighting, takedowns and ground techniques specific to Kerr’s wrestling-based style.
The filming process included moments of real physical contact that blurred the line between performance and reality. Stunt coordinator Yoko Hamamura described being asked by Johnson to actually punch him in the face during fight sequences, delivering strikes at 65 to 70 percent force over multiple takes. Rutten himself encouraged these moments of real contact, realizing that authentic physicality would enhance the end product.
‘The Smashing Machine’ premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2025, where it won the Silver Lion. Despite critical acclaim and praise for Johnson’s performance.
Ultimately, Safdie’s decision to have Rutten Johnson teach in real life instead of lecturing created something rare in biographical sports films: real expertise broadcast on camera. What the audience sees is not actors pretending to train, but a master coach doing what he has done throughout his career: teaching fighters how to become champions.
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