Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Weighs in on Wax Figure That Got Ridiculed by Fans
Wax figures are a tricky art form. At best, they might pass a somewhat similar, albeit creepy resemblance to the celebrity of historical figure they're attempting to represent. But at worst—well, the internet can be unkind. Let's just say that people are definitely not smelling what a new wax figure of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is cooking, including the actor himself.
The figure in Johnson's alleged likeness was recently unveiled at Musée Grévin, a wax museum located on the bank of the Seine in Paris. Founded in 1882 on the heels on London's Madame Tussauds, Musée Grévin stands as one of the oldest wax museums in Europe. However, that pedigree did not lend the museum much sympathy when photos of its interpretation of the 51-year-old retired professional wrestler were revealed this week.
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In addition to the figure looking noticeably deflated and wearing a buttoned-up blue polo shirt tucked into sensible trousers with a black leather belt—which is not a typical look for Johnson, to say the least—its skin tone appears to be caucasian. Johnson, on the other hand, was born to a Black Nova Scotian father with a small amount of Irish ancestry and a mother who is Samoan.
So it's not exactly shocking that people wondered what in the caucacity was going on after museum revealed a first-look at Johnson's statue on Instagram.
"Who is this because uhhhh ... You do know he's Samoan and Black right lol?" commented one user, while others asked why they would "white wax wash" him and when the museum was going to fix it.
More than a few people likewise made comparisons to "Mr. Clean" and Vin Diesel, of Johnson's sometimes costar and frenemy in The Fast and the Furious movies, with one user calling the figure "Dwayne Vin Diesel Johnson." Another referred to it as "Pitbull and The Rock’s improbable love child."
Others got creative, writing: "That’s not the Rock that’s the Pebble" and "Pretty sure that’s actually Dan Johnson, from Idaho."
Johnson later commented on his wax figure, saying he was reaching out to the museum to update the piece, including its skin color.
