Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Reveals How a 40-Pound Suit Brought Maui to Life in Moana's Film Adaptation.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson believes that after witnessing his bodily transformation in Moana, viewers will be saying "you're welcome". The 54-year-old, who is well-known for using his exercise regimens to play characters in films like Black Adam and Baywatch after his illustrious career as a WWE wrestler, clarified why it took 40 pounds of special effects to transform into Maui for the live-action version of the Disney classic, which opens in theaters on July 10.
"It was a suit, and it was crazy because I went from Smashing Machine and I was 50 pounds heavier than I am now," Johnson mentioned his role as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in an exclusive interview with news sources. "From Smashing Machine, I went directly on set with Catie,” in reference to Catherine Laga'aia, his co-star in Moana, "so I had no time to change my body."
The cast of the 2025 movie starring Emily Blunt disputed whether Johnson could portray Maui without using prosthetics because of his "jacked" physique. But the directors were forced to take a different approach in order to be faithful to ardent fans of the animated series, which launched in 2016 with him portraying Maui.
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"We were considering me just stepping on set how I looked in the Smashing Machine, but the body was just intensely different," Johnson went into detail. "We are the keepers of integrity, but also the fans are keepers of integrity, and if I stepped on set looking like how I looked, they would have had a complete organ rejection."
"We went with this amazing suit [made by] Joel Harlow, who's an Academy Award-winner," Johnson went on, laughing as he described the makeup department head's contribution to the film's magic: "40 pounds of suit that was hot as s--t!"
In addition to giving Johnson Maui's unique set of muscles, the imaginative decision also provided the spectator with another visual benefit.
"It also worked out great because of visual effects, because the tattoos are alive," Johnson described the customary Polynesian body art of Maui. "So it was easier for [the visual effects team] and a better treat for audiences to see it on the suit."
But after all these years, it was just half the fight to bring the beloved tale to life. Along with their co-stars John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen, Johnson and Laga'aia were also in charge of the musical numbers in the film.
"These are iconic songs that are beloved, and this is our live-action version, so you got to step up to the plate," Johnson underlined when reflected on the choreography he delivered together with Laga'aia. "And you feel the pressure. You gotta bring the A-plus-plus game to this thing. And you gotta have a great partner. That's what I had."
