From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Dwayne Johnson found the internet's memes very funny and urged audiences to see the live-action Moana.
- Dwayne Johnson defended the live-action Moana, saying real actors bring values despite early pushback about reboot timing.
- Dwayne Johnson said he lacked cultural representation growing up, citing Indiana Jones and wanting heroes who looked like him.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda praised Johnson's hair, calling it a return to The Scorpion King and joking about erasure.
- Thomas Kail directed; Catherine Lagaʻaia stars. Live-action Moana opens July 9, and Moana 3 is planned.
Dwayne Johnson went through 12 different Maui wigs before landing on the perfect one for the live-action “Moana,” and laughed “so fucking hard” when he saw the internet’s reaction to his flowing mane.
“I went through 12 wigs,” Johnson told Variety‘s Marc Malkin on Tuesday night at the Los Angeles premiere of “Moana” at the Hollywood Bowl. “Maui’s hair is one of his powers, so, you know, we had to get the wigs right.”
Johnson then addressed the online fixation on his wig. Social media all but exploded when the first “Moana” trailer dropped, and the typically bald mega-star had flowing brunette locks. Johnson found the response “very, very funny.”
“I laughed so fucking hard when we first came out, and people saw me in a wig for the first time,” he added. “They memed me. The internet did the internet. It was very, very funny, but I was like, ‘Okay, it’s all right, just see the movie.’”
Johnson also talked about the significance of a live-action adaptation of the movie and some of the initial pushback he received about a reboot coming just a decade after the original film was released in 2016.
“It’s real flesh and blood, it’s real human beings,” he said. “When we first started…there were a few folks who said, it was this ideology of, oh, you got to give it more time, and I thought, ‘OK, I get that, but at the same time, there’s values in this version that should be shown by real human beings.”
Johnson also said the “Moana” cinematic universe matters for representation and visibility, saying he didn’t himself represented in media when he was growing up: “‘Indiana Jones’ inspired me. When I was 8 years old watching Harrison Ford, I was like, ‘I want to be that guy,’ but that guy didn’t look like me.”
Thomas Kail, who helmed the theatrical release of “Hamilton” for Disney, directed the live-action “Moana.” Catherine Laga’aia stars alongside Johnson in the titular role. Other cast members include John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen and Jemaine Clement.
“Moana,” both at the box office and in the home, is one of Disney’s best-performing franchises. The first film, which went on to earn $643 million worldwide after its 2016 release, is one of the most-watched titles on Disney+. Its 2024 sequel, which was cobbled together using a scrapped made-for-streaming “Moana” TV show, had the best gross over a Thanksgiving weekend ever with $225 million. It went on to do just over $1 billion worldwide.
Unsurprisingly, a “Moana 3” is in the works, as confirmed by Johnson at a recent press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He said, “Yes, we have talked about ‘Moana 3,’ yes. But first, live-action ‘Moana,’ we’ll let that come out first. We have [the] amazing Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, who have been our writers … they will pen ‘Moana 3.’”
The live-action “Moana” hits theaters on July 9.
See more photos from the premiere below.
Lauren Hashian and Dwayne Johnson at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
Catherine Laga’aia at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
Auliʻi Cravalho at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 07: Dwayne Johnson performs onstage during the Moana World Premiere at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California on July 07, 2026. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Disney)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Dis
Dwayne Johnson and Jon M. Chu at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
Thomas Kail, Rena Owen and Lin-Manuel Miranda at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 07: Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment and Dana Walden, President and Chief Creative Officer, The Walt Disney Company attend Disney’s Moana World Premiere at Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images)
Disney via Getty Images
Sara Wells, Frances Harper Wyle and Noah Wyle at Disney’s “Moana” World Premiere held at the Hollywood Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Buckner
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