Dwayne Johnson confirms he wore a tattooed bodysuit in the live-action “Moana” film

Don’t worry folks, even Dwayne Johnson needs a little help getting into godly form.

According to an interview with Extra, the Moana The actor confirmed suspicions that he would wear a muscle suit to play the demigod Maui in Disney’s live-action film Moana.

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“It took a long time to put on that suit,” Johnson said when asked if he had to build (even more) muscle to accurately portray the role. “I’m so glad you said, ‘You gained weight,’ because when you say, ‘You gained weight,’ that means you couldn’t say it.”

Fans began speculating last week after paparazzi photos of Johnson and the others on set continued to leak – including one that showed Johnson with Maui’s signature tattoos and a shoulder-to-waist ratio that was even for the former professional wrestler seemed extremely unattainable.

“We were filming outside, and when these pictures came up, I was like, ‘Shit, we got caught,’ because we put up like walls so there wouldn’t be any paparazzi,” Johnson added. “But they got into boats and started taking pictures.”

The news comes amid the ongoing press tour for Moana 2which hit theaters on Wednesday. Picking up where the 2016 original left off, the film follows Moana, the daughter of a village leader who was chosen by the sea to reconnect her people with their heritage. The live action version of Moana will be one of Disney’s latest moves to release live-action versions of its most popular films, including Lilo & StitchH, The Lion KingAnd Snow White.

Johnson voiced Maui in the original 2016 animated film and will reprise his role alongside franchise newcomer Catherine Laga’aia in the remake, currently scheduled to premiere on July 10, 2026. Fans eagerly waiting can expect to see realistic recreations of most of the film’s famous scenes and Oscar-nominated songs – alongside a muscle suit-clad Johnson. Magical demigods, they’re just like us.

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