Overview

• Johnson told Vanity Fair he felt real fear taking on the dramatic lead as UFC champion Mark Kerr, questioning whether he could do it.
• He underwent three to four hours of makeup daily, using roughly 13–14 prosthetics to inhabit Kerr’s look, movement and voice.
• Blunt, who plays Dawn Staples, said his work felt like a full disappearance into Kerr, and Johnson credited their friendship with enabling vulnerability.
• The film, written and directed by Benny Safdie, dramatizes Kerr’s athletic peaks and personal struggles, including substance-abuse issues.
• A24 set a world premiere in Venice competition on Sept. 1 and a U.S. theatrical release on Oct. 3, with some entertainment outlets noting early awards buzz.