Actors Dwayne Johnson and Teyana Taylor will be honored during Variety’s brunch at the Palm Springs Film Festival next month for their respective work in “The Smashing Machine” and “One Battle After Another.”
Johnson will receive the Creative Impact Award in acting for his performance in “The Smashing Machine,” and Taylor will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award for “One Battle After Another.”
“Dwayne Johnson is a revelation in `The Smashing Machine.’ His haunting and committed portrayal of MMA fighter Mark Kerr is a testament to his willingness to forgo vanity to tell a truly human story,” Co-President and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Variety Ramin Setoodeh said in a statement.
Johnson received his first Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama film for his work in director Benny Safdie’s film.
The “Moana” actor has also starred in “Black Adam,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Pain and Gain,” “Central Intelligence” and the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
“With her multilayered performance in `One Battle After Another,’ Teyana Taylor manages to do the impossible: she stands out in one of the year’s best ensembles,” Setoodeh said. “Combined with her previous film roles in `A Thousand and One’ and `The Book of Clarence,’ Teyana has quickly established herself as a formidable and fearless actress, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.”
Taylor received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress for Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio.
She has starred in films including Hulu’s “All’s Fair,” “Coming 2 America,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “A Thousand and One,” which earned her acclaim at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
The awards will be presented Jan. 4, 2026.
Passes and tickets for the festival can be found at www.psfilmfest.org/.