Benny Safdie on Directing Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine
Just before receiving the Stockholm Visionary Award at the Stockholm Film Festival, director and actor Benny Safdie sat down to discuss keeping film sets relaxed, learning from great directors, and his latest project, The Smashing Machine.
Safdie has built a reputation for discovering award-caliber performances in surprising places. His newest collaboration features Dwayne Johnson, who takes on the role of real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine—Safdie’s first feature film written and directed without his brother, Josh.
“What it comes down to is just if you get along with the person and if they trust you,” says Safdie. “And I really got along with Dwayne and he really trusted me implicitly, and I trusted him.”
Looking stylish in a black Prada suit, Safdie recalls with amusement, “I got it when I went to Venice and they didn’t ask for it back, and I’m very happy they let me have it, because I love it.”
Speaking from a wood-paneled room in a Gamla Stan hotel, fresh off a delayed flight from Los Angeles, he adds with a smile, “I was pretty chill about it.” He’s in Stockholm to screen The Smashing Machine and to accept the festival’s Visionary Award.
Author’s Summary
Safdie reflects on trust, artistry, and partnership while discussing his collaboration with Dwayne Johnson and the premiere of The Smashing Machine at the Stockholm Film Festival.