“That is a couple of hours every day of transforming,” the actor said of his Maui muscles
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back and bigger — but only while filming!
Speaking exclusively to Extra about his upcoming role in the live-action version of Disney’s Moana, the former pro wrestler, 52, shared that his beefed-up look was part muscles, part custom-made suit.
“That’s a suit that took a long time to put on,” Johnson said of the larger-than-usual body seen in on-set photos of him in costume as the demigod Maui. “So, I’m so happy you said, ‘You bulked up,’ because when you say, ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell.”
Johnson previously voiced Maui in the animated Moana in 2016 and reprised the role for the upcoming Moana 2.
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“That is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that on. We shot outside and when those pictures surfaced, I was like, ‘S—, we got caught, ’cause we were putting up, like, walls so there was no paparazzi,” Johnson told Extra. “But they got into boats and started shooting pictures. So, but I’m happy you liked it. I can’t wait. The movie comes out in 2026.”
The photos Johnson was referring to showed him dressed in traditional Hawaiian attire while walking on set on Nov. 20 — his bare chest and tribal tattoos were front and center as he wore a grass skirt.
For the Red One star, transforming into Maui made him feel at home.
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“My daughters, all three of my daughters were there. That was the first time we’d all been together in a public place before,” he told the outlet of having his family present for Moana 2’s premiere in Hawaii.
“That was beautiful. My mom was there. It’s our culture. I grew up here, got in trouble here 15 miles up the road. My grandfather’s buried here. My grandfather inspired the character of Maui,” Johnson continued. “It all came together.”
The actor added that he and Maui have quite a few things in common, especially them both being “egotistical” and “loud” with a “big mouth.”
“I have a handle on who Maui is,” Johnson added. “I know the voice, I know the man, I know his inspiration. I can access things. I got it.”
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“The moment I stepped on set … as live-action Maui, I realized right away, ‘Oh, wow, this is different,’ in terms of this is real flesh-and-blood and skin-and-bones,” Johnson said. “It becomes real all of the sudden. It was almost like getting in my grandfather’s skin and what that was like.”
Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana in animated movies, will serve as an executive producer for the upcoming film. Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia will play the character onscreen in the live-action remake. Thomas Kail, who won Tonys for directing In The Heights and Hamilton on Broadway, directed the live-action film.
Moana 2 is in theaters on Nov. 27, while the live-action remake of the first film opens on July 10, 2026.
Source people.com
