The Smashing Machine was recognized with a single Oscar nomination ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards, which goes down Sunday, March 15 from Hollywood.
The film was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling,
which accounts for lead star Dwayne Johnson’s incredible transformation to look like UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr. Johnson underwent hours of makeup every day to become Kerr for a passion project he’s wanted to make for years after first seeing The Smashing Machine documentary.
“I’m truly honored and grateful for this nomination,” Kazu Hiro, prosthetic designer on the film, said in a statement. “The Smashing Machine was a project that required total trust, patience, and empathy from everyone involved, and I’m thankful to be recognized alongside such incredible artists. I share this recognition with our director Benny Safdie, the talented Dwayne Johnson, and the entire filmmaking team.
“I’m also thankful to my makeup and prosthetics team, whose craftsmanship and dedication made this work possible. To be acknowledged by the Academy is incredibly meaningful to me, and I’m sincerely grateful.”
The recognition for Best Makeup and Hairstyling was ultimately the only nomination that The Smashing Machine received after there were hopes early on that the film could potentially compete in other categories including a possible Best Actor nod for Johnson.
That didn’t happen, although Johnson did get recognized with a Best Actor nomination at the 2026 Golden Globes, but he’ll miss out for the Oscars. The same goes for co-star Emily Blunt, who was an early favorite to score a nomination for her role as Kerr’s girlfriend turned wife in The Smashing Machine but she didn’t earn a nod either.
The Smashing Machine is going up against Frankenstein, Sinners and The Ugly Stepsister in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category.
The awards broadcast goes down on March 15 starting at 7 p.m. ET with the show airing live on ABC.
