Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not satisfied with his new wax figure at the Grevin Museum in Paris, France. The actor said that he's asked his team to reach out and ask to change one major part of the figure: its skin tone.
Johnson shared an Instagram reel on Sunday (Oct. 22, 2023) by comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr., who poked fun at the wax figure. “That's how Paris thinks he looks,” Jefferson said, sharing an image of the wax figure, which depicts the actor with light skin. “They turned The Rock into the pebble.”
“It looks like The Rock hasn't seen the sun a day in his life,” Jefferson continued.
Embed from Getty ImagesJohnson, who is Black and Samoan, also shared Jefferson's video on his own Instagram page.
“For the record, I'm going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at ‘updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color,” he wrote in the caption. “And next time I'm in Paris, I'll stop in and have a drink with myself.”
The Grevin Museum, like Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York City and London, displays wax figures of celebrities. Their figures range from Charlie Chaplin to Nelson Mandela to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Sculptor Stéphane Barret created the wax figure of Johnson using photos and videos instead of seeing the star in person, the museum said in a news release on Monday.
“The teams went to gyms in the hope of finding a man who matched The Rock's extraordinary measurements,” the news release read.
“It's true that it's always impressive to make people of this size,” Barret said in a statement. “We were lucky enough to find someone who physically matched Dwayne Johnson's build and height. That really allowed us to get it right.”
Barret said it was difficult to achieve the subtle smirk Johnson gave in the photo he used to create the figure.
Embed from Getty ImagesJohnson's eyes were redone three times to ensure they were warm and not too dark, while his Samoan tattoos took 10 days to paint, according to the release.
Johnson, who wrestled for the WWE, is estimated to be 6'5” and weigh 260 lbs, according to the sports news publication Bleacher Report.
Johnson's mother is Samoan, and he has portrayed Pacific Islander characters like Maui in Disney's animated film “Moana.” In 2021, he created and starred in the autobiographical sitcom “Young Rock,” which chronicled his childhood with his father, Canadian wrestler Rocky Johnson, who is Black.
In 2019, responding to a Twitter user who said The Rock was “billed” as a Samoan wrestler, Johnson said he identifies as both Black and Samoan.
“Glad I came across this and I'll give you guys some context & truth. I identify as exactly what I am – both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan,” Johnson tweeted, adding “And my friend, let me expand your thoughts a bit here – I transcended race in wrestling so there was no ‘booked that way.”
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