Even though Mark Kerr lived through the events that are depicted in The Smashing Machine, the former professional fighter found something he did not expect in watching the movie play out. Particularly the heartbreaking final scene between his character, played by Dwayne Johnson, and that of his then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples, portrayed by Emily Blunt.

In a pre-release interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan, Kerr said he did not expect the final scene between Johnson and Blunt to be so intense, but ultimately, “it was therapeutic” for him.

The scene in question comes as Mark and Dawn, whose up-and-down relationship is a key point of the film, have reunited ahead of Mark’s biggest fight in Japan. Dawn confronts Mark when she discovers he, his trainer, and close friend believe Dawn shouldn’t go to Japan, before delving into other issues they have regarding Mark’s struggles with opioid addiction.

It boils into a big fight, where Mark blames Dawn for inhibiting his recovery. Dawn threatens to kill herself, but ultimately Mark stops her. Dawn is then taken into custody for a mental evaluation.

Though the real incident the scene is based on occurred 25 years ago, Kerr says watching it play out on screen “crystalized” the moment for him, with him acknowledging it was “just terrible behavior on my part.” He added:

I have to accept it and that moment of what I have to accept and understand that, “Wow, maybe I hadn’t taken full responsibility for all the things that I did back then.”

That scene is the final time Johnson and Blunt are on-screen together. However, the film shows Mark’s change after the event. While he loses the fight in Japan, he is more at peace than after a loss earlier in the film. Then, through postscript, we learn that after the events of The Smashing Machine, Mark and Dawn married, were together for six years, and had a son.

Kerr’s quote is a fascinating insight, revealing that even he can be affected by what director Benny Safdie, Johnson, and Blunt produced on the screen.

The Smashing Machine is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. While ScreenRant‘s official The Smashing Machine review is not overly glowing, the movie is officially “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of 72%. Meanwhile, Johnson has received a good amount of Oscar buzz for his performance and is expected to be among the contenders for Best Actor.