Dwayne Johnson is currently filming the live-action Moana movie, and while the actor is a big dude, he’s not quite Maui big. When set photos from the Moana remake emerged last week, fans were quick to notice that Johnson appeared to be wearing a tattooed bodysuit, which he has now confirmed.

“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,” Johnson told Extra. “That is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that on. We shot outside and when those pictures surfaced, I was like, ‘Sh*t, we got caught, ’cause we were putting up, like, walls so there was no paparazzi. But they got into boats and started shooting pictures. So, but I’m happy you liked it. I can’t wait. The movie comes out in 2026.“

Although Johnson has a “handle on who Maui is,” he realized that the live-action project would be a very different experience. “I know the voice, I know the man, I know his inspiration. I can access things. I got it,” Johnson explained. “[But] the moment I stepped on set… as live-action Maui, I realized right away, ‘Oh, wow, this is different,’ in terms of this is real flesh-and-blood and skin-and-bones. It becomes real all of the sudden. It was almost like getting in my grandfather’s skin and what that was like.“

Thomas Kail (Hamilton) is directing the live-action Moana movie, which stars Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Frankie Adams as Sina, John Tui as Chef Tui, and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. The film will hit theaters on July 10, 2026.

Johnson also returned for Moana 2, which is now playing in theaters. The sequel takes audiences on an” expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” You can check out a review from our own Tyler Nichols right here.

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