The Rock Explains Dramatic Weight Loss After WWE Fans Shocked By Appearance

The Rock has revealed the real reason behind his dramatic weight loss after a public appearance earlier this month shocked WWE fans.

Dwayne Johnson has built a reputation for his imposing physique, but he recently surprised fans by drastically slimming down.

He first rose to fame through WWE, before transitioning to Hollywood where he starred in blockbuster films such as Fast & Furious and San Andreas.

Over the years, Johnson became one of the most recognisable figures in the world and a high-profile actor.

Now, Johnson has explained that he has been forced to put on weight for his role in The Smashing Machine, a biopic about the former UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

But that is not the only body transformation he will have to undergo.

Johnson will have to lose 60 pounds for an upcoming role, where he will play a 70-year-old man known as the Chicken Man in Lizard Music.

Dwayne Johnson, Benny Safdie and Emily Blunt (Image: Tristar Media / Contributor via Getty)

Johnson told SPORTbible: "I gained 30 pounds to play Mark Kerr and then came back down after that to my normal weight of around 250 or so.

"Now I'm in the process of slimming down where I play a 70 something year old man.

"So the slimming down is happening. And we have time to do it, which is really nice.

"There's nothing extreme about it. I can't wait, because, again, it's the opportunity that I have where I can immerse myself into something and disappear."

The Smashing Machine, which is set for release in October, has already received praise from critics.

Dwayne Johnson at The Smashing Machine premiere (Image: Gerald Matzka / Stringer via Getty)

Director Benny Safdie even won the Silver Lion award for best directing achievements in a feature film.

But Johnson described the role of Kerr as a unique challenge.

"It's hard [and] it's challenging to do," he added.

"I put on five pounds here, 10 pounds there, for roles in the past, but 30 because Mark was so much, in a way, bigger, and his body was built differently... you realise it's actually so hard.

"What you have to eat, it's not like, great, let's go to McDonald's twice a day.

"It's gonna be so much fun, and let me have the milkshake. That's different.

"It's so specific with the things you have to eat, when you have to eat it, and salt intake. Then you pull the salt and water and it's just wild."

THE SMASHING MACHINE opens in theatres in the US and UK on October 3

Interview conducted by Niamh Shackleton