Dwayne Johnson is pulling out all the stops to transform into Maui in upcoming live-action movie Moana.
The actor has voiced the legendary demigod in two movies Moana Disney animated movie, recently confirmed extra In the Thomas Kyle-directed film, set to be released in 2026, he wears bodysuits to bring his physique closer to Maui.
“This suit took a long time to put on,” Johnson said. “So, I’m glad you said ‘you’ve gained weight’ because when you say ‘you’ve gained weight’ it means you can’t tell.”
Photos from the set were previously leaked by paparazzi, sparking debate on social media over whether the muscular actor was wearing a tights or not. In these photos, Johnson sports a demigod physique and all the tattoos that Maui has to offer.
But Johnson clarified that it actually took “several hours a day of transformation, dressing up” to fully become the beloved character.
“We were shooting outside, and when these photos surfaced, I thought, ‘Damn, we got caught,’ because we put up a wall so there were no paparazzi,” the actor said of the photos added when leaked. “But they got on the boat and started taking pictures.”
Johnson voiced Maui in the 2016 film Moana and moana 2released this week. The sequel has already made history with the biggest opening ever for the five-day Thanksgiving holiday, among other records.
As for the live-action film, Johnson will star opposite newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, who plays the eponymous character. Auli’i Cravalho voices Moana in the animated film. this red number one The actor added that working on the live-action film project was “eye-opening.”
“I do understand who Maui is. I know the voice, I know the man, I know his inspiration. I have access to stuff, I get it,” Johnson explained. “The moment I set foot on the live-action Maui, I immediately realized, wow, this is different, this is real flesh and blood, skin and bones, and it suddenly became real.”
