Dwayne Johnson calls upcoming live-action 'Moana' experience 'intensely different'

Dwayne Johnson recently got candid about his transformation into fans’ favorite character in the live-action adaptation of Moana.

For those unaware, the 54-year-old professional American wrestler-turned-actor first lent his voice to beloved Maui in the 2016 Disney animation and its 2024 sequel. He is again reprising his role in the forthcoming live-action film.

While conversing with E! News to promote the upcoming Moana, Johnson shared the details of how he filmed in a heavy prosthetic bodysuit, revealing that he could not take time out to transform his body after the 2025 film Smashing Machine, in which he portrayed UFC fighter Mark Kerr opposite Emily Blunt.

"...I went from Smashing Machine and I was 50 lbs. heavier than I am now," he said, adding that he had "no time to change my body."

Johnson shared, "We were considering me just stepping on set how I looked in the Smashing Machine, but the body was just intensely different.”

"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,” the Black Adam star quipped.

Johnson along with his team collaborated with the Academy Award-winning makeup artist Joel Harlow for the creation of a body suit, which was made entirely from prosthetics.

"It also worked out great because of visual effects, because the tattoos are alive. So, it was easier for [the visual effects team] and a better treat for audiences to see it on the suit,” he noted, referring to his character Maui.

Despite loving his costume and the details of it, the Jumanji: The Next Level actor admitted that filming while wearing it was not easy at all, as it was a "40 pounds of suit that was hot as s******!"

It is pertinent to mention that Dwayne Johnson is serving as a producer in the upcoming live-action remake of Moana, slated for a July 10, 2026 release. Watch the trailer here.