Dwayne Johnson has made some of the most colossal blockbusters in the industry and is no stranger to the limelight, though it’s not anything he’s done on screen that’s taken the spotlight most recently, but rather a wax figure at France’s Grevin Museum. Fans have been humorously roasting the statue, comparing it to a certain famous bald-headed cleaning brand mascot rather than The Rock himself. In response, the museum has released an enlightening video unveiling the intricate process of fixing the skin tone and addressing the criticism surrounding the wax figure’s look.
The primary bone of contention? The figure’s strikingly pale and hyper-smooth appearance is a far cry from the rich skin tones of the multiracial actor, who’d claimed he was reaching out about fixing the figure. Amidst this wave of criticism, the Musée Grévin decided to come forth and address the issue with a promise to get the final form correct. In a recent Instagram post, which you can see embedded below, they shared a fascinating behind-the-scenes video that delves into the meticulous process of rectifying the wax figure’s skin tone.
Yves Delhommeau, the museum’s Managing Director, candidly addressed the public’s concerns regarding the figure’s skin tone in the video. He acknowledged the oversight, attributing it to the use of various photo references. Delhommeau assured the audience that the museum is committed to refining the figure to represent The Mummy Return actor’s appearance better, saying:
It’s a long process, like oil painting. They worked on his skin tone using photos. And we know that Dwayne Johnson looks very different from one photo to the next. We’re going to work on this amazing waxwork so it better represents him. It’s been a major task for the sculptor. We’re going to keep improving it! Long live Dwayne Johnson, who’s going to stop in and have a drink with us in Paris soon!
The museum seems prepared to offer the champagne, even though we know that The Rock is a tequila guy. (Nobody should call the beer-swilling Stone Cold Steve Austin, either.)
I am not the biggest fan of wax figures, and consider them to often be scarier than some of the best horror movies. However, there is no denying that crafting wax likenesses of some of the biggest Hollywood A-listers seems challenging and requires a ton of skill, which is why they often result in hit-or-miss results. The Michael B. Jordan statue fell flat, for instance, while Travis Barker’s figure is eerily lifelike, to the point where it gave his own family the heebie-jeebies. Tom Hiddleston’s is incredibly realistic for a wax counterpart, but Zendaya’s figure noticeably falls short. The former WWE star’s new sculpture may have faced intense internet mockery, leading to the request for an update, but let’s be honest — his figure could have turned out so much worse. At least it looked human.
As for Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming projects, he’s gearing up for sequels in the Fast & Furious franchise and his new Christmas movie with Chris Evans titled Red One. While there’s no precise release date for Red One yet, the action-packed Christmas film will debut on Prime Video in the 2023 movie release schedule. This could mean we’ll witness Johnson and Evans’ enigmatic Christmas action flick for everyone with an Amazon Prime subscription.