Ryan Bader, a seasoned fighter from UFC and Bellator, recently sat down with Submission Radio to talk about his new role in the upcoming movie ‘The Smashing Machine.’ The film explores the intense life of MMA legend Mark Kerr, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson taking the lead part. Bader spilled the details on how he got cast and what he noticed about Johnson’s effort to step into Kerr’s shoes on screen.
A Fun Path to the Screen
“I got a random call, actually a text, from the [producer]. All he said was, ‘Hey, my name is Benny. I have a question about this MMA film,’ and yeah, I think I blew him off for like two or three weeks, and then he finally kind of started pressing a little harder, and I got on FaceTime with him and you know, realized who he was and what they were trying to do, and then I heard ‘The Smashing Machine,’ which is, you know, those guys are my lineage in this in this sport. Anyway, I did a Zoom audition for Mark Coleman, so I ended up getting that part,” Bader said.
That unexpected message came from producer Benny Safdie, who’s also directing the film. Bader’s role as Mark Coleman, a tough-as-nails early MMA star, fits right into the story of Kerr’s era. It’s a cool switch for Bader, who’s spent years scrapping in the cage and now gets to bring that real-deal vibe to a movie set.
Johnson Steps Up Big
“I’m not gonna say he’s out there looking like a guy who’s been fighting for 20 years, but you know, he obviously works hard and he went in there and did a training camp with real MMA fighters, you know, to get his skills up to look good and yeah, I’ve seen some, uh, I’ve seen a little bit of like the playbacks and they look good, you know, um, like I said, he worked super, super hard,” Bader said.
Johnson’s a Hollywood heavyweight, but he’s never fought for real. To pull off Kerr’s moves, he hit the gym with pros who know the sport inside out. Bader got a peek at how it’s coming together and gave a thumbs-up to the effort. The film’s shaping up to show Kerr’s journey, from dominating UFC tournaments in the late 90s to facing personal battles later on.
‘The Smashing Machine’ comes from A24, with Emily Blunt rumored to play Kerr’s partner. It’s set to drop in 2025, no firm date yet, and has folks buzzing about Johnson maybe earning some award love. Bader’s part ties him to MMA’s gritty past, while Johnson’s grind aims to make the fight scenes pop. This mix of real fighters and big-screen talent has the movie poised to hit hard for fans of the sport’s early days.
