Have you ever looked at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and thought, “What would he look like with even bigger muscles?” We’ll soon find out, as the actor has confirmed that he is wearing a muscle-enlarging bodysuit for his portrayal of Maui in the upcoming live-action remake of Moana.
Johnson made the reveal in a new interview with Extra, confirming online speculation that began after paparazzi photos of the Moana set were published. Responding to the question of whether he “bulked up” for the role or not, Johnson said, “That’s a suit that took a long time to put on. So, I’m so happy you said, ‘You bulked up,’ because when you say, ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell.”
Continuing, Johnson explained, “That is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that on.” Referencing the hubbub around the paparazzi photos, he said, “We shot outside and when those pictures surfaced, I was like, ‘Shit, we got caught,’ cause we were putting up, like, walls so there was no paparazzi. But they got into boats and started shooting pictures.”
Granted, when looking at the paparazzi photos, Johnson’s physique looks a bit more like “animated character brought to life” than “bulked up,” with the overly-large muscles seeming a little awkward from different angles (Johnson’s hands look too small for his forearms, for example). Nonetheless, he certainly looks like Maui, complete with the full-body tattoos and long, flowing hair.
The live-action Moana was first announced last year, and is expected to hit theaters in summer 2026. In addition to Johnson’s reprisal of Maui, the cast will be filled out by Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, with the role’s original voice actor, Auliʻi Cravalho, serving as an executive producer.
Meanwhile, the animated sequel, Moana 2, hit theaters this past week and is eyeing a massive global opening of $370 million.