Dwayne Johnson’s wax statue gets skin tone update at Paris museum after backlash

When the figure was unveiled, a popular comedian quickly pointed out: 'It looks like The Rock ain’t never seen the sun a day in his life'

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Published: Wed 25 Oct 2023, 11:05 AM

Last updated: Wed 25 Oct 2023, 4:40 PM

The Musee Grevin, located in the French capital Paris, had to redo a waxwork of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson after the American actor complained about it.

The museum, which is modelled on London’s Madame Tussauds, was criticised for making Johnson’s wax figure appear with a lighter skin tone.

People had expressed their disappointment over the incorrect skin tone of Johnson’s wax statue which was unveiled on October 16. Johnson himself even shared a note on social media asking the museum to update the statue.

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Sharing a video of popular comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr, Johnson wrote on Instagram, “For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris, France, so we can work at 'updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements — starting with my skin colour. And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.”

In the Instagram post, James Andre Jefferson Jr can be heard saying that the statue made him feel “low-key offended”.

“It looks like he works at H&R Block or something … Is this how y’all felt when you lost The Little Mermaid? I understand. It looks like The Rock ain’t never seen the sun a day in his life … It looks like The Rock is part of the royal family,” Jefferson Jr added.

As per a BBC report, museum director Yves Delhommeau had initially blamed the statue’s much-talked-about skin tone on a "lighting issue" and conveyed that it would be addressed.

Yves Delhommeau claimed that The Rock would pay a visit to the museum "later on to see if there are other modifications that need to be made". Meanwhile, as per a Sky Sports report, the museum had redone the skin tone of the Dwayne Johnson wax statue.

AFP

The waxwork was done by artist Stephane Barret. In their official press release, the museum communicated that the model's eyes had to be redone three times. “The teams went to gyms in the hope of finding a man who matched The Rock’s extraordinary measurements. The star’s Samoan tattoos took the painters 10 days of painstaking work and a lot of research,” the museum wrote.

Born in California, Dwayne Johnson has been a hugely popular figure in the field of wrestling. The 51-year-old has also been a part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

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