During the “Moana 2” premiere in Hawaii, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared an exclusive update about his transformation for the upcoming live-action of “Moana.” After Extra’s Terri Seymour brought up the subject, Johnson revealed why he appeared so bulked up in viral set photos. The actor claimed it takes him “a couple of hours every day” to transform into his character, Maui. Besides that, the voice actor spoke to Seymour about his family, especially his three daughters, and reflected on his own heritage and rise to fame.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson reveals he wore a suit to play Maui in ‘Moana’
Dwayne Johnson talked about his body transformation for the upcoming live-action of “Moana,” which is set to premiere in 2026. Answering to Extra‘s Terri Seymour about why he appeared “so bulked up” in set photos, Johnson revealed he wore a suit to look bigger than usual to play Maui. He first thanked Seymour for saying he looked more buffed up in the recent set photos. The leaked images from the set reportedly show him bare-chested, sporting tribal tattoos on his skin and a grass skirt.
The Rock confirmed, “So, that’s a suit that took a long time to put on,” while discussing his body transformation. He also mentioned feeling “happy” when Seymour called him “bulked up,” explaining that this means she “couldn’t tell” if he was actually wearing a suit. The reporter responded with an affirmative. “I couldn’t tell from the picture. I was like wait he looks massive,” she pointed out, further noting that while Johnson has always looked big, he appeared too “big” in the photos.
Dwayne Johnson credited Academy Award-winning makeup artist Joel Harlow for his dramatic live-action “Moana” transformation. He further explained how it took “a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that [the suit] on.” Johnson also expressed frustration that the pictures surfaced after they filmed outside for the upcoming movie. He claimed they “got caught” by the paparazzi despite taking precautions.
