Dwayne Johnson Shows Off His Weight Loss On The Venice Film Festival Red Carpet
The former WWE star was one of many famous celebrities to attend this year's Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, and was a special guest, as his new film, The Smashing Machine, in which he portrays famous MMA artist Mark Kerr, premiered at the festival. The film, directed by the famous Benny Safdie, made an impact during the event, as it reportedly received a 15-minute standing ovation.
As the actor was photographed on the red carpet, fans and others couldn't help but notice how much his appearance had changed, as he's slimmed down quite a bit. While he's typically training and bulking up for roles, like the time he portrayed Hercules, this role reportedly required something different from him, and while he may have beefed up at first, he's seemingly shrunk down.
Dwayne posed in various outfits on the red carpet, displaying his more petite physique in collared shirts and slacks, his pictures quickly going viral on the internet.
Fans React To Dwayne's Weight Loss On Social Media
Once pictures of the 53-year-old went viral on social media, fans and other internet users began weighing in on his weight loss and body transformation, which he credits to taking on the new role.
"This transformation was something I was really hungry to do," Dwyane told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week. "I had been very fortunate to have the career that I've had over the years and to make the films that I've made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, 'Well, what if I could do more? I want to do more, and what does that look like?'"
While he seems confident in his weight loss transformation, some people were still astonished and shared their thoughts on various social media platforms.
"Had to do a double-take," wrote a user on X.
"Amazing how many people don't understand this is his natural physique," wrote another.
"The rock became the pebble," joked a user.
Some people speculated that the star had been "using Ozempic," while others believe this is the "natural" result of him laying off excessive exercise and calorie consumption to keep up his wrestler physique. Either way, many of his fans are hoping that through the transformation, he's remained happy and healthy.