JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Mark Kerr Opens Up On The Rock Playing His Role in The Smashing Machine; 'Gives me Goosebumps'
Legendary MMA fighter, Mark Kerr has finally opened up on The Rock playing his role in The Smashing Machine. Check out what he said.
Disclaimer: This article mentions drug addiction.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson is playing the iconic role of MMA legend Mark Kerr in his upcoming biopic, The Smashing Machine. The name of the biopic is itself driven by the nickname, 'The Smashing Machine’ which was given to the MMA fighter in his young days.
It has been a hard nut to crack for Johnson stepping into the shoes of Mark Kerr. He has been vigorously preparing for the role in the last few days. For Mark Kerr, it’s been an emotional moment, knowing that one of the greatest Hollywood stars, The Rock will be bringing back his MMA days to life once again.
What did Mark Kerr say on The Rock?
Kerr recently spoke up on the whole thing, from The Rock playing his role to admitting the grave mistakes he made in his MMA days. During an interview with The Sun, Kerr admitted that watching Dwayne play his role has been the biggest honor of his life.
“This is the biggest honor of my life to do this role. It gives me goosebumps because when he says it you know he means it,” The Sun quoted Mark Kerr.
While the movie intends to show the bright side of his career, it also sheds light on the dark side of it, when Kerr struggled with drug addiction, and steroid use and how his whole career was on the brink of getting finished because of his habits. Here is a picture of The Rock disguised as Mark Kerr for the upcoming biopic.
Mark Kerr opens up on how he ended up at MMA
The former fighter said that his upbringing wasn’t that easy, as his father was an alcoholic. Being one of six children, Kerr saw a financial crisis in his young days only. He made it to college and studied at Syracuse University in New York State, where he won the US National Collegiate Athletic Association at the age of 24.
He wanted to make it to the Olympics, but things went downhill for him. He said that in 1996, his friend Dave Shultz was murdered by the owner of the center he was wrestling for. The accused, John Du Font was sent to jail for the crime. Kerr was left without a wrestling facility.
Later that same month, his mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died later that year. And then an injury cost him his Olympic dreams. Kerr was left high and dry. He said that he needed money, and for that, he turned to MMA. But there also, he succeeded but got entangled in drug addiction.
Kerr’s struggle with drug addiction and painkillers
Since he was lightning quick, Kerr became an instant hit in MMA, winning two UFC heavyweight titles in a row in 1997. But since the sport was heavy on his body, he took the shortcut to escape the pain.
Kerr turned to steroids, and drugs to keep fighting in MMA and keep making money. He explains, “Instead of doing rehabilitation, the shortcut for me was just take narcotics, steroids, take painkillers and train. I didn't know what chemical dependency was to the point that if I didn't consume on a daily basis, I would get violently ill.”
He disclosed that once he became a drug addict by taking painkillers and opioid medicines, there was no way of getting out of it. He said that the build-up of the drugs backfired in his body, and the dangerous amounts he was taking, almost killed him.
“I really didn't know what I was getting into or the real dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs,” Kerr said. He also said that he had absolutely no idea of how awful it becomes when one becomes a drug addict, revealing that the drugs at one point shut down his respiratory system and his heart rate.
In 1999, the drug overdose eventually led Kerr to end up in a hospital, but by then he had managed to recover and fought for another 10 years. He is now happy that The Rock is bringing his whole life on the silver screen once again.
Also Read: The Rock Hails Boxer Oleksandr Usyk As Latter Joins His Upcoming Movie The Smashing Machine
Latest Articles
