I’m not sure there are many actors in Hollywood who have gotten more positive comments about their appearance over the past few decades than Dwayne Johnson. From WWE superstar to action staple to the biggest name in Hollywood, The Rock won the Sexiest Man Alive crown back in 2016 and hasn’t exactly gotten less attractive in the last decade. For the past several months, however, he’s been getting a taste of how the rest of us live, as he’s been the subject of cheeky jokes and zany one-liners thanks to his look in the upcoming Moana.
Johnson voiced Maui in Disney’s Moana ten years ago and is returning for the live action version, which hits the movie release schedule later this week. Since the moment the first trailer dropped, however, fans have been making cracks about the big guy’s wig. People aren’t used to seeing The Rock with such luxurious and flowy hair, and there are many who think the production department could have chosen some locks that were a little less jarring. Maybe a little less Weird Al Yankovic?
Let the record show, however, that Johnson has taken it all in good spirits. He’s seen the jokes online, and he’s laughed along with quite a few of them. Here’s what he told us during a recent interview we did on the Moana press day…
I haven’t laughed that much in a long time to see everybody’s reaction to the wig, and I get it. I’m known to look like this, and that’s what people are used to. And then they see me all of a sudden with a big, beautiful wig on. And it was so jarring for people.
Johnson quickly got used to the idea that people were going to make jokes. He’s had basically the same look since the mid-2000s, apart from the occasional change-up for a movie role. So, it wasn’t a surprise that people had something to say about his Maui look. Between the 40 pound tattoo suit and the hair, it was always going to be jarring when people got their first look. From his perspective, however, he was just happy that many of the jokes were actually funny.
If you’re going to get roasted by the Internet, at least get roasted in a way that’s entertaining. Here’s more of his take…
The internet does the internet. And my hope is when the internet did the internet, I was like, okay, please entertain me though, you know? And it was very, very entertaining.
The Rock has shown pretty consistently during his career that he’s able to laugh at himself and/ or let his buddies clown him. He recently posted a video clip in which he misunderstood a question a journalist asked about his favorite swimming stroke and instead gave an answer about his bedroom preferences. Compared to that level of awkwardness, this wig is nothing. At least that’s my take. You can decide for yourself and see Johnson’s full look in all its glory when Moana officially hits theaters on July 10th.
