Dwayne Johnson may be one of the most muscular men in Hollywood, but even he doesn’t have the size to play a convincing Maui in the live-action Moana movie. Because of this, he was required to wear a bodysuit to make him look extra muscular in Disney’s latest live-action remake. Johnson also happens to be one of the most famous bald men in Hollywood, which means he also had to wear a wig for the film… Unfortunately, most fans agree that he doesn’t quite pull it off.
Following the release of the trailer for Moana, which provided the first look at Johnson’s live-action Maui, the actor spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the challenges of wearing the heavy bodysuit and wig while portraying the demigod. He said:
“The thing that became a challenge, that I had to work through very quickly, that I didn’t anticipate was the prosthetics and the hair and then the body. That is an additional 40 pounds on you. There’s a freedom when you perform, whether it’s as an actor or singing. So that was an adjustment on how to actually work my emotions through the 40 pounds of prosthetics and hair and body that I had on me.”
In addition to the heavy bodysuit, Johnson also found it challenging to maintain his body weight while filming the live-action Moana. He explained that when people lose weight, they lose it from their neck, which wasn’t an option while portraying Maui. “I couldn’t have a big bodysuit and then a small little skinny neck,” Johnson stated. “Forty, 50 pounds is a lot to put on. Then it’s a lot to maintain for months… It was grueling because of the suit and how hot it was. Wait till you see pictures. In between takes, there’s literally five, six people, all [with] fans, opening me up, pulling my hair back.”
Johnson claimed that it took about two and a half hours every day to become Maui. He also revealed that the live-action Moana team originally considered transforming him into the demigod through visual effects, but ultimately decided to use prosthetics. “There was an idea that maybe we were gonna do this whole thing with visual effects, body and everything,” he said. “But then there’s also a tactile, emotional resonance when it’s a real bodysuit. It moves and breathes with you. So we thought the best iteration of this was, let’s go for it.”
The decision to use prosthetics rather than rely on visual effects should be applauded, but unfortunately, fans haven’t had the most positive reaction to Johnson’s look as the live-action Maui. Most fans agree that Johnson looks laughably bad in the live-action Moana remake. It can’t be denied that the wig doesn’t look natural on Johnson’s head. Additionally, even with the bodysuit, the live-action Maui doesn’t have the same physical presence that his animated counterpart had in both the 2016 and 2024 films.
|
Moana Movies |
Worldwide Box Office |
RT Critics Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Moana (2016) |
$643,332,974 |
95% |
|
Moana 2 (2024) |
$1,059,242,164 |
60% |
Overall, Johnson’s look in the movie once again has fans questioning why a live-action Moana remake is being made. After all, the original animated film only came out ten years ago. Sure, Moana is considered a modern classic, but most fans seem to hold the sentiment that not every beloved animated Disney movie needs a live-action remake.
Regardless of the criticisms, Moana remains one of the most anticipated Disney movies of the year. Because of the beloved story and all the hit songs that will be included in the film, fans will definitely still rush to theaters to see the remake. Perhaps it will even surpass Moana 2’s $1.05 billion box office haul. Fans may not love how Johnson looks in the trailer, but there’s a chance he will win people over with his performance when the live-action Moana remake releases in theaters on Jul. 10, 2026.
- Release Date
-
July 10, 2026
- Director
-
Thomas Kail
- Writers
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Dana Ledoux Miller, Jared Bush
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
