How ‘The Smashing Machine’ Transformed Dwayne Johnson Into Mark Kerr: 2 Hours of Make-Up, Prosthetics With Needles and Recreating His Cauliflower Ear
Oscar-winning prosthetics artist admits creating a cauliflower ear for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in “The Smashing Machine” was the easiest thing for him to make.
In the film, Johnson plays real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr. Johnson sat in the makeup chair for two hours undergoing a transformation process that resulted in the cauliflower ears, a specific browbone piece and other prosthetics, plus hiding his tattoos.
The film also stars Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. It marks Safdie’s solo directorial debut — he previously worked alongside his brother Josh Safdie.
The cauliflower ear was a distinct feature on Kerr, and is also known as “wrestler’s ear” after years of trauma. “Damage happens inside, and it starts to swell,” Hiro explains. “Depending on how often it’s damaged, it will change the shape of the ear. There’s a build up of fluid and the tissue accumulates and that shape is created.”
Hiro noticed Kerr had a big one on his right ear and a smaller one on his left ear. So, he made a prosthetic piece to fit over Johnson’s ears.
However, Hiro, who counts Bradley Cooper, Gary Oldman and Charlize Theron as some of his most iconic transformations, says recreating Kerr’s prominent brow bone on Johnson was the most challenging prosthetic.
Hiro says, “The first thing you notice on Dwayne is how big his eyes are, and how gentle he looks. Mark is the opposite. The heavy brow bone affects how his eyes look.”
Hiro explains he had to be mindful since the eyelid is soft and delicate. “Any pressure affects how an actor expresses themselves,” he says. “Dwayne needed freedom to move.”
So, Hiro made a chamber that attached to Johnson’s eyelid. “It’s 1 to 2 millimeters and that was glued to him. And it moves with him, almost like natural skin.”
There was tech involved to get it right. “When I did the facial scan, I scanned him with his eyes open, and with half closed, and then with closed eyes. In the end, I sculpted a mold that was a hybrid of all the different stages.”
In one scene, Johnson’s character goes to the barber shop and shaves his hair. Up until that point, he had a wig, but for that scene, Hiro worked with the barber, teaching him how to shave the hair. “Silicon skin doesn’t behave like human skin, so I was teaching him how to move the clippers.”
Additionally, Hiro had to create a prosthetic piece for when Johnson injects himself with drugs into the veins in his arms. Once he had that piece, Johnson expertly poked the prosthetic which hid blood and saline. Hiro explains the device is never an easy one, “That was tricky because he pushes it in and blood is mixed into the syringe. So, there was a chamber with blood it in, and when he pulls the needle out, the syringe fills with blood.”Hiro adds, “That’s always a tricky one, any makeup involving blood or liquid.”
In the film, Johnson plays real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr. Johnson sat in the makeup chair for two hours undergoing a transformation process that resulted in the cauliflower ears, a specific browbone piece and other prosthetics, plus hiding his tattoos.
The film also stars Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. It marks Safdie’s solo directorial debut — he previously worked alongside his brother Josh Safdie.
The cauliflower ear was a distinct feature on Kerr, and is also known as “wrestler’s ear” after years of trauma. “Damage happens inside, and it starts to swell,” Hiro explains. “Depending on how often it’s damaged, it will change the shape of the ear. There’s a build up of fluid and the tissue accumulates and that shape is created.”
Hiro noticed Kerr had a big one on his right ear and a smaller one on his left ear. So, he made a prosthetic piece to fit over Johnson’s ears.
However, Hiro, who counts Bradley Cooper, Gary Oldman and Charlize Theron as some of his most iconic transformations, says recreating Kerr’s prominent brow bone on Johnson was the most challenging prosthetic.
Hiro says, “The first thing you notice on Dwayne is how big his eyes are, and how gentle he looks. Mark is the opposite. The heavy brow bone affects how his eyes look.”
Hiro explains he had to be mindful since the eyelid is soft and delicate. “Any pressure affects how an actor expresses themselves,” he says. “Dwayne needed freedom to move.”
So, Hiro made a chamber that attached to Johnson’s eyelid. “It’s 1 to 2 millimeters and that was glued to him. And it moves with him, almost like natural skin.”
There was tech involved to get it right. “When I did the facial scan, I scanned him with his eyes open, and with half closed, and then with closed eyes. In the end, I sculpted a mold that was a hybrid of all the different stages.”
In one scene, Johnson’s character goes to the barber shop and shaves his hair. Up until that point, he had a wig, but for that scene, Hiro worked with the barber, teaching him how to shave the hair. “Silicon skin doesn’t behave like human skin, so I was teaching him how to move the clippers.”
Additionally, Hiro had to create a prosthetic piece for when Johnson injects himself with drugs into the veins in his arms. Once he had that piece, Johnson expertly poked the prosthetic which hid blood and saline. Hiro explains the device is never an easy one, “That was tricky because he pushes it in and blood is mixed into the syringe. So, there was a chamber with blood it in, and when he pulls the needle out, the syringe fills with blood.”Hiro adds, “That’s always a tricky one, any makeup involving blood or liquid.”