The Rock Shares Honest Thoughts On Missing Oscar Nomination For The Smashing Machine Performance: ‘I Wish It Happened, But It Didn’t’

WWE

Dwayne The Rock Johnson has addressed not being nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year for his role in The Smashing Machine.

Following clips of The Rock as MMA legend Mark Kerr first doing the rounds ahead of the release of Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, The Rock was on many fans and critics’ radars for the 2026 awards season.

While The Rock’s performance was heavily praised following the movie’s general release in October 2025, the former WWE Champion was unable to land one of the five nomination spots for the Best Actor Oscar, ahead of the March 15 ceremony.

Speaking with Esquire, The Rock admitted that he does wish he was nominated, and always thought that it mattered.

Noting that this snub has lit a fire within him, the TKO Board of Directors member said:

“It would have been incredible to get nominated for an Oscar.

“… I realized very quickly that it’s a rare thing to reach this pinnacle where you’re even having these conversations. And it’s exciting! It would have been amazing.

“I wish it happened. But it didn’t. But in no uncertain terms did I ever think, ‘Oh, that doesn’t matter.’ I always thought it mattered. And it has lit a fire in my spine… Let’s go back to work.”

While it must sting to be so widely praised and still miss out on a nomination, the 2026 Best Actor race was extremely tight throughout awards season.

Of the five nominees – Michael B Jordan for Sinners, Timothee Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another and Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent – predictions for who would take home the statuette were fluctuating throughout the season, with eventual winner Michael B Jordan only becoming the clear favorite after his SAG Actor Award win.

Other top contenders who missed out on a Best Actor Oscar nomination included Jesse Plemons for Bugonia, and Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams.

The Rock’s performance didn’t go completely unrecognised, with the former WWE star receiving a nomination for the Golden Globe Award. 

Despite not being in contention for the iconic statuette, The Rock achieved a lot with his Smashing Machine performance, proving himself as an impressive dramatic actor to general audiences, who widely saw Johnson as the “blockbuster movie star” up to that point.

If The Rock continues to take more dramatic roles, an eventual Oscar nomination would feel like a full-circle moment, which WWE would for sure celebrate.

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• wwe
• The Rock
• Hollywood
• Oscars

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