Dwayne Johnson wants to have wax figure in Paris' Musée Grévin altered

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Dwayne Johnson figure at the Musée Grévin with proud creators: The Pebble instead of The Rock

Photograph:

Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

Actually, Dwayne Johnson should feel like a winner at the Musée Grévin. After all, the former wrestling star and current star actor had been selected in a public vote as the new attraction of the Paris wax museum.

On the website of the Parisian museum, which was founded in 1882, sculptor Stéphane Barret expressed his reverence for the task: "It's always impressive to model someone so great," said of the 1.96-meter-tall athlete. They were looking for a suitable role model in fitness studios. Tracing the star's tattoos alone took ten days.

The task was also made difficult by the selected model photo, says Barret: "He has this very slight smile on his face. An expression that is difficult to imitate. It was very subtle." For days, the house in the 9th arrondissement prepared for the upcoming unveiling with Instagram posts, proudly showing off the first visitors who posed with the figure.

But the reactions from the Internet were not long in coming. Cautious at first – "Is it just the light, or is it a little too bright?" – but soon with the usual sarcastic mockery. That's not The Rock, that's Master Proper," said a user of the social network X. And another joked that it wasn't The Rock, but The Pebble.

Dwayne Johnson is the son of a Black wrestler from the Canadian region of Nova Scotia and a mother of Samoan descent.

The person portrayed also learned about the internet ridicule and shared a clip of comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. on Instagram. Jefferson was particularly biting at the museum and the artist, who had succeeded in making The Rock look "like David Beckham or the Royal Family". Jefferson joked, "Did you feel the same way when you lost The Little Mermaid?" – a reference to the excitement surrounding the casting of African-American actress Halle Bailey in the title role of the live-action adaptation of Disney's "Ariel, the Mermaid."

In his Instagram post, Dwayne Johnson writes that he threw himself away laughing at this comparison of the comedian. But he also notes that his people got in touch with the Paris wax museum to make "a few important updates" to his figure, starting with the color of his skin. The next time he comes to Paris, he wants to come by "and toast with myself."

Other wax museums have succeeded better in matching the skin tone of Dwayne Johnsons. At Madame Tussauds, however, the actor himself worked, according to the London cabinet. Johnson already encountered a former Madame Tussauds counterpart in the New York branch.

In any case, the Musée Grévin has accepted the challenge: As the industry magazine »Deadline« reports, the Paris wax museum has announced that it will »put things right« as soon as possible. They will send Johnson photos of the new figure and hope to welcome him soon with a glass of champagne in Paris.

Feb