Wax Museum Promises To Give The Rock Statue A Do-Over After Public Ridicule
Images via 125186337 © Tverkhovinets and 27156883 © Carrienelson1 | Dreamstime.com and Musée Grévin
A wax museum in Paris is working fast and furious to redo a not-quite-right sculpture of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that’s become the subject of internet jokes.
The Musée Grévin, home to over 250 wax likenesses of celebrities and royals, recently came under the spotlight after presenting a “whitewashed” double of the actor and former professional wrestler.
The waxwork, depicting Johnson with a slight smirk and folded arms, had been a labor of love, the Grévin Museum reflected. When unveiling the statue, it explained that sculptor Stéphane Barret referenced several photos and videos to replicate the star’s looks as faithfully as possible without him having to be physically present.
For further research, the museum’s artists even visited gyms to scout for a man who matched Johnson’s physique and measurements.
The tattoos alone took the team 10 days to paint, while the model’s eyes were redone thrice as they appeared too dark and erased his “warm aspect.”
“We worked on his face and eyes several times, because the most complicated thing about realism is getting the statue to come alive from the visitors’ perspective,” Barret elaborated.
Still, the internet wrestled hard with the final result. While lifelike waxworks generally give off an eerie vibe, in the case of the Dwayne Johnson statue, the discomfort stemmed more from its skin tone, which people pointed out was lighter than that of the celebrity, who is the son of a Black father and a Samoan mother.
Fans likened the model to Mr Clean, while some joked that it was the lovechild of The Rock and Vin Diesel. Celebrity-focused news site The Shade Room commented that the figure looked “melanin-deficient.”
Mr Clean pic.twitter.com/zeybokYMB2
— Chombe (@Chombe1080) October 20, 2023
Johnson is aware of the wax statue. On Instagram, he reposted a video of comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr roasting the waxwork.
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Jefferson noted that the sculpture “looks like he works at H & R Block” or belonged to “the royal family.”
“Is this how y’all felt when you lost The Little Mermaid?” he added. “I understand.”
To that end, Johnson said his team has reached out to the museum to fix the art “with some important details and improvements—starting with my skin color.”
According to the New York Times, the Grévin also took to its Instagram stories to confirm that its team is “already working on improving” the sculpture.
Johnson doesn’t seem too frazzled by the gaffe, telling fans: “Next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.”
[via New York Times and The Guardian, images via various sources]
