As Dwayne Johnson breaks from his usual big-budget blockbusters and attempts to show off his more serious side in Benny Safdie’s upcoming film, The Smashing Machine, Johnson says that Maui, his character from Moana, has a story arc in this November’s Moana 2 that helped him to reflect on his own vulnerabilities and his own insecurities. At this year’s CinemaCon, he would announce how personal this sequel was for him.  “It’s so much deeper of a movie to me, and it’s so much deeper of a movie to Disney as well,” Johnson said. “We are so excited to welcome back audiences all over the world to a new adventure.”

In Entertainment Weekly‘s preview of the new Disney film, Johnson elaborates on how he reflected on himself through Maui’s journey in this new story. In the movie, Maui has to set pride aside and ask Moana for help on confronting his past, “Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to ask for help. It puts us automatically in that position of vulnerability. The idea of jumping into vulnerability isn’t necessarily always our [first choice], and it doesn’t come easy.”

He continues, “This guy is a demi-god. He can do whatever he wants, have whatever he wants, live the life. But it’s all stripped away in this one moment. He can either continue to live life how he lives, or he can strip it all away and say, ‘I really need help.’ That’s a hard thing to do — when you’re that low and you feel like you’ve fit rock bottom. It’s an important moment for people to see that you can be strong, you can be big, you can be independent, but it’s okay to ask for help. When you do finally ask for help, and you put yourself in that position of being vulnerable and being open, the universe has a way of meeting you halfway.”

The official synopsis from Disney reads,
“Opening only in theaters Nov. 27, 2024, Moana 2 reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a 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. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, Moana 2 features music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foaʻi, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.”

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