Dwayne Johnson wore a 40-pound bodysuit to play Maui in Disney’s live-action Moana after moving straight from his role in The Smashing Machine.
The actor reprises the demigod role he voiced in the original animated films, with Catherine Laga’aia playing Moana in the adaptation, which is now streaming on Disney+.
Johnson said he had been 50lb heavier for The Smashing Machine, in which he portrayed a UFC fighter, and had no time to alter his physique before filming Moana began.
“We were considering me just stepping on set how I looked in The Smashing Machine, but the body was just intensely different,” he told E! News.
He added: “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.”
Johnson said the decision to use the bodysuit also benefited the film’s visual effects, particularly the depiction of Maui’s tattoos.
“It also worked out great because of visual effects, because the tattoos are alive,” he said. “So it was easier for [the visual effects team] and a better treat for audiences to see it on the suit.”
