Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has asked a French museum to update its wax statue of him after social media pointed out its odd complexion. Photos of the wax model in the Grévin Museum went viral as fans reacted to its “whitewashed” complexion, with some mocking the mistake and others taking it as a sign of ignorance. Finally, Johnson spoke out on social media, and the museum answered him quickly.
Johnson re-posted a video by comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr., who joked that “The Rock” looked more like a “pebble” in this wax exhibit. He unleashed a few other punchlines in the video as well, saying that this statue looked more like David Beckham than Dwayne Johnson and that it looked like he could be a member of the British royal family. He even feigned outrage over media representation, wondering: “Is this how y’all felt when you lost the Little Mermaid?” Jefferson’s video set the tone for Johnson’s own response, showing that he was not angry and he could see the humor in the situation, even if he thought it was pretty egregious.
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“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 color,” he wrote. And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.”
The Grévin Museum responded in an email to reporters from Deadline. A rep for the museum wrote: “Dwayne Johnson is right and we noticed it and will obviously remedy it as quickly as possible and send him new photos once completed. We are waiting for him when he will come to Paris and the Grevin Wax Museum to celebrate that with a cup of champagne.”
The Grévin Museum already has many wax figures of American celebrities, including Ryan Gosling and Lady Gaga. It is a major attraction in Paris, and it is not the first wax museum to miss the mark. However, issues like this can become particularly sensitive not just for stars like Johnson but for his fans.
Johnson remains active on social media but only for personal posts and unaffiliated stories like this one. With the SAG-AFTRA actors strike still going on, Johnson cannot post about any upcoming movies or other entertainment projects. Johnson has voiced his strong support for the union and even made a massive donation back in July to a fund that helps support other actors while they are out of work waiting for a better deal.
