Dwayne Johnson’s A24 movie The Smashing Machine is sure to bring audiences to tears. We’ll be seeing the true story of the physical and emotional journey MMA fighter Mark Kerr puts himself through in and out of the ring. However, the red carpet experience proved to be an emotional one for Johnson, who ended up “crying like a baby” at the premiere as his daughter accompanied him.
The American actor/part-time wrestler has been to plenty of red carpets before for his best movies. At the London premiere of his upcoming A24 movie, Dwayne Johnson gave ET a very “special” reason for what makes this red carpet appearance different than others, and it has to do with his oldest daughter, Simone:
You know what made that special is that was the first time her and I actually did a red carpet together. So, I brought her out. I brought her partner out, Tatyanna. And I was just so happy to have both of them with me.
There’s nothing like seeing a devoted daughter show up during one of her daddy’s big career moments. As the 24-year-old has experience training as a WWE wrestler like Johnson, it looked to be a momentous occasion for the two, getting to see another fighter’s journey told on the big screen.
Even though The Smashing Machine red carpet event centered on Dwayne Johnson, MTV made sure to shine a light on Simone, who made her in-ring debut as Ava Raine in 2022. During the Moana actor’s interview, he made sure to give the news outlet its props for recognizing his daughter’s own path to the wrestling community:
Everybody was asking me questions, but everyone would start with me. When we got to that one outlet, it was MTV, I got to give a shout out to MTV, they just gave her her flowers first, and I so appreciated that.
Simone Johnson certainly deserves her “flowers.” Some personal details about The Rock include that he comes from the legendary Anoa’i Family, which has built many great wrestlers. As Dwayne Johnson followed that path for himself, it’s only natural that one of his kids takes after him and his family’s legacy. But like the Red One actor told MTV, his daughter wants to carve her own path. She’s already done so as the youngest General Manager of the NXT brand.
If you thought you were already getting emotional seeing this sweet father/daughter bond, stay tuned. The California native brought back to being a big, blubbery mess during his MTV interview with a very good reason why:
and then they turned to me and was like ‘How proud are you?’ And I tried to answer. I started crying like a baby.
When asked that important question, Dwayne Johnson kept turning away from the camera to avoid anyone seeing a tear fall. That’s such a beautiful thing to see a father emotionally convey how proud he is of his kids. It speaks volumes about the close bond they share and being a part of each career milestone. I’m sure Simone Johnson feels the same way, supporting her dad at the London premiere of one of his most anticipated movies.
Dwayne Johnson being a blubbery mess when asked how proud he was of his daughter is too beautiful for words. An actor may be prone to playing tough guys on the big screen, but they can easily melt when it comes to family. Make sure to see Johnson’s 2025 movie release The Smashing Machine in theaters now.
