Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said Monday a "burning desire" to express himself as an actor led him to accept a role in "The Smashing Machine", which was to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Best known as a wrestler turned big-budget action film hero, the 53-year-old said he felt there was pressure in Hollywood where the "box office is loud", and that can "push you into a category and into a corner".

"I understood that, and I made those movies, and I liked them, and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so," said the "Fast and Furious" star, appearing at his first European festival.

"I just had this burning desire and this voice that was saying 'Well, what if? What if there is more and what if I can?'," Johnson said about the challenge of stretching himself

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