Updated: October 16, 2025 11:05 am IST
Christopher Nolan recently appeared on a podcast and praised the actor and his recently released film. Here’s what he said.
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan recently appeared on The Director’s Cut podcast And a recently released movie and its star actor was praised by all. The film may have had a low opening, but the Oppenheimer filmmaker believes the actor gave the best performance of the year in it, perhaps even for ‘other years’. Here’s what he said.
Christopher Nolan praised this actor a lot
Nolan was joined on the podcast by The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie. Describing Dwayne Johnson’s performance in the film as ‘heartbreaking’, Nolan said he thought Dwayne’s portrayal as Mark was ‘incredible’. He said, “I think it’s an incredible performance. I don’t think you’ll see a better performance than this this year or most other years.”
Nolan also praised Benny for making a film he called ‘radical’ and said, “Congratulations on the film. It is truly a remarkable and revolutionary work that will be more understood over time. I am very proud to have known you.”
Relationship with Oppenheimer
For those unaware, Beane played Hungarian theoretical physicist Edward Teller, known as the ‘Father of the Hydrogen Bomb’, in Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer. Emily Blunt played Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer, Robert Oppenheimer’s wife and former Communist Party USA member, in the film.
Benny met Emily on the set of the Nolan film and was later cast to play Mark Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, in The Smashing Machine. Nolan joked about this on the podcast and accused Benny of ‘hyping people’ on the set of his film instead of learning his lines. He also commented that while working with him he did not know that Benny was making this film.
About Smashing Machine
Dwayne plays two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a film that tracks the MMA champion’s volatile relationship amid the ups and downs of his career. The film has been struggling at the box office since its release. Diversity informed After opening to $5.9 million, which was the lowest of Dwayne’s career, the film has so far grossed $10 million domestically, against a budget of $50 million. It was released in theaters on 3 October.
