Dwayne Johnson Talks About Using Wig and Prosthetics to Bring Maui to Life in Moana’s Live-Action Adaptation
Disney has unveiled the trailer for its live-action adaptation of Moana, featuring Dwayne Johnson reprising his iconic role as the demigod Maui. The new look for Maui has stirred mixed reactions among fans of the original animated film.
In a recent interview, Johnson and director Thomas Kail discussed the creative choices for Maui’s design. Kail described the challenges of achieving a look that felt authentic on screen. “We knew that it had to be something that could have real lift to it,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Because you’re doing this on the water, ‘what does it look like wet?’ is a real conversation when you’re making Moana. That one weighs seven pounds more with all the water in it for all those hours a day.”
Johnson acknowledged that a significant “challenge” in embodying Maui involved managing “the prosthetics and the hair and then the body,” noting that this extra gear added an additional 40 pounds. “There’s a freedom when you perform, whether it’s as an actor or singing,” he shared. “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.”
The actor also reflected on the physical demands of the role, mentioning that the timing of filming Moana followed a period of gaining weight for another project, Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. “Maui was a big guy, and I couldn’t lose the weight because when you lose weight, you lose it here,” he said, gesturing to his neck. “I couldn’t have a big bodysuit and then a small little skinny neck.” He described the grueling process of maintaining his weight in preparation for the role and the difficulties posed by the heat of the suit. “In between takes, there’s literally five or six people with fans, opening me up, pulling my hair back.”
Johnson also expressed the cultural significance of portraying Maui, emphasizing the responsibility he feels in representing Polynesian people. “You realize that you’re representing cultures and people who came before you who were voyagers, they were warriors, they were slaves,” he noted. “There’s still this pride and joy and this idea of community and culture and sharing, as opposed to gatekeeping. We all share in this. We all share it together. So you feel that responsibility, and it does hit differently.”
Moana is set to hit theaters on July 10.
