Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not happy with his new wax figure at the Grévin Museum in Paris, France. The actor said he asked his team to reach out and request to change an important part of the character: her skin tone.
Johnson shared an Instagram reel of comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. on Sunday making fun of the wax figure. “This is what Paris thinks he looks like,” Jefferson said, sharing a photo of the wax figure that shows the actor with fair skin. “They turned the rock into a pebble.”
“It looks like The Rock has never seen the sun a day in his life,” Jefferson continued.
Dwayne Johnson’s wax figure is unveiled at the Musée Grévin in Paris, France on October 16, 2023. Marc Piasecki/Getty Images/Getty Images
Johnson, who is Black and Samoan, also shared Jefferson’s video on his own Instagram page.
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“For the record, I will be asking my team to reach out to our friends at the Grévin Museum in Paris, France, so we can work on ‘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 by and have a drink.”
The Grevin Museum, like the Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York City and London, shows wax figures of famous people. Their characters range from Charlie Chaplin to Nelson Mandela to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Sculptor Stéphane Barret created the wax figure of Johnson using photos and videos rather than seeing the star in person, the museum said in a news release Monday.
“Teams went to gyms hoping to find a man who matched The Rock’s extraordinary measurements,” the press release said.
“It is true that producing people of this stature is always impressive,” Barret said in a statement. “We were fortunate to find someone who physically matched Dwayne Johnson’s build and size. This allowed us to really get it right.”
Barret said it was difficult to achieve the subtle grin Johnson showed in the photo he used to create the character.
Johnson’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.
CBS News has reached out to the Grevin Museum for comment and is awaiting a response.
Johnson, who wrestled for the WWE, is estimated to be 6 feet 3 inches tall and weigh 260 pounds, according to sports news publication Bleacher Report. After a successful wrestling career, he began an even more successful acting career, starring in action films such as the Fast & Furious series. According to Forbes, he became Hollywood’s highest-paid actor in 2016 and from 2019 to 2021.
Johnson’s mother is Samoan and he has portrayed characters from Pacific islands such as Maui in Disney’s animated film “Moana.” In 2021, he created the autobiographical sitcom Young Rock, in which he starred and depicted his childhood with his father, Canadian wrestler Rocky Johnson, who is Black.
In 2019, Johnson responded to a Twitter user who said The Rock was “billed” as a Samoan wrestler. said he identifies himself both as a black man and as a Samoan.
“I’m glad I came across this and I’ll give you some context and truth. I identify as exactly who I am – both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan,” Johnson tweeted, adding, “And my friend, let me expand your thoughts.” A little bit here – I’ve moved beyond race in wrestling, so there was no “so booked.”
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