Complete cast breakdown of The Smashing Machine: Who plays whom & where you’ve seen them before

The Smashing Machine turns the 2002 HBO documentary into a focused character study. The Smashing Machine follows UFC and PRIDE pioneer Mark Kerr across late-1990s peak years and a painful addiction spiral, with Dwayne Johnson playing Kerr and Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples. The Smashing Machine is Benny Safdie’s first solo directorial feature, premiering in competition at Venice on September 1, 2025, before a U.S. release on October 3 via A24.

The production leans into realism, with fighters portraying fighters and PRIDE voices returning to play themselves. Johnson’s widely discussed physical and tonal shift reframes him as a dramatic lead, a point the Venice rollout and early interviews underlined. Key figures from Kerr’s timeline appear, including Mark Coleman, Igor Vovchanchyn, Enson Inoue, Akira Shoji, and Kazuyuki Fujita, with PRIDE textures and broadcast color woven into the staging.

The Smashing Machine also earned Safdie the Silver Lion for Direction at Venice, which sets the context for its intimate frame rather than a conventional sports montage.

The Smashing Machine cast and who plays whom

Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr: Johnson leads The Smashing Machine as Kerr, tracking fame, injury management, and recovery across PRIDE and UFC years.

Dwayne Johnson is also known as "The Rock", his WWE stage name. Viewers might have seen him as Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious films. Dr. Smolder Bravestone in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level. Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise and as Maui in the Disney animated flick Moana.

Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples

Blunt plays Kerr’s partner, offering a grounded lens on relapse and rehabilitation in The Smashing Machine. Oscar nominee Emily Blunt is also known for portraying Kitty Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, Evelyn Abbott in A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, and Rita Vrataski in Edge of Tomorrow.

Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman

Bader portrays Kerr’s friend and rival in The Smashing Machine, reflecting Coleman’s impact during PRIDE’s Grand Prix era. Ryan Bader is also known as a two-division Bellator champion and a former UFC contender. Viewers might have seen him as the Season 8 winner on The Ultimate Fighter.

Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn

Usyk plays PRIDE knockout artist Igor Vovchanchyn in The Smashing Machine, a pivotal name in Kerr’s competitive window. Oleksandr Usyk is also known as the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. This is his first major screen role.

Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue

Ishii appears as PRIDE mainstay Enson Inoue in The Smashing Machine, anchoring the late 1990s circuit the film recreates. Satoshi Ishii is also known as a 2008 Olympic judo gold medalist with a long career in MMA and kickboxing.

James Moontasri as Akira Shoji

Moontasri portrays PRIDE stalwart Akira Shoji in The Smashing Machine, a frequent opponent for elite wrestlers of the era. James Moontasri is also known as a UFC welterweight and lightweight veteran who competed in the octagon through the 2010s.

Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita

Hamamura plays Kazuyuki Ironhead Fujita in The Smashing Machine, another heavyweight touchpoint in Kerr’s era. Yoko Hamamura is also known as a Japanese actor and stunt performer with screen and action credits across film and television.

Bas Rutten as himself

Rutten appears as himself in The Smashing Machine, echoing his real-life mentorship of Kerr and adding authenticity to the training beats. Bas Rutten is also known as Niko in Here Comes the Boom, Henk in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and the voice of Sebastian the Wolf in Zookeeper.

Stephen Quadros as himself

Quadros returns as himself in The Smashing Machine, restoring the broadcast texture PRIDE fans associate with that period. Stephen Quadros is also known as The Fight Professor, the original PRIDE commentator alongside Bas Rutten, and a veteran combat sports broadcaster.

What the makers said about The Smashing Machine, plot and release facts

Safdie frames the film as intimate and tactile. As per the No Film School post dated October 2, 2025, he said,

“I want it to feel like you were really there… the sound has to be 360.”

The director also stressed why he cast real fighters. As per the DiscussingFilm report dated October 6, 2025, Safdie stated,

“From my perspective, they aren't non-actors; they're just first-time actors,”

further adding that casting fighters was “significant” to do justice to the fights and relationships. Johnson underscored the tonal shift. As per the Hollywood Reporter report dated September 1, 2025, he stated,

“This transformation was something I was really hungry to do....there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more."

That aligns with how The Smashing Machine positions him. Blunt echoed the reset. According to the People report dated September 2, 2025, she remarked that the project “has been life-changing for him,” noting how their trust allowed for riskier emotional beats.

Stay tuned for more updates.