"He said, 'You're friends with Dwayne Johnson, right?' And I said, 'Yeah,' and he goes, 'Did he ever get the sweater I sent him?' And I was like, 'What are you talking about?'"
"'Benny Safdie, just his name is exciting because of what he's able to do and craft,' she said. ' He had jet-fueled independent cinema for me in a way that was just so exciting.'"
"The film was a smash at Venice, where our own Ryan Lattanzio called it 'nimbly executed' with 'sensational' performances that mark it for awards love, with Safdie walking away with Best Director."
Emily Blunt and Benny Safdie shared brief screen time in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer but spent off-camera moments together in the makeup trailer. Safdie discussed an early idea that later became his solo directorial debut, The Smashing Machine, a sports biopic starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with Blunt portraying his partner Dawn Staples. The film follows Kerr's opioid addiction and Staples' efforts to support him through personal and professional upheavals. The Smashing Machine premiered at Venice to strong reviews and a Best Director prize for Safdie, with critics praising its execution and sensational performances.
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