Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has hailed ‘Moana’ as “life changing” for him.
The 52-year-old star reprises his voice role as Maui the demi-god in the long-awaited animated sequel and he admitted the movie series means “so much” to him because of his personal connection to the role.
Asked what Maui means to him, he told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “So much. Getting to play Maui has been life changing for me.
“The experience over these two movies goes way deeper than any other character I’ve played
“This is my culture. He is part of me.
“The character of Maui is actually inspired by grandfather, who was High Chief Peter Maivia. It means so much to me.”
And the former wrestler finds fans often want to talk to him about the Disney saga – and try and persuade him to sing his signature song from ‘Moana’.
He said: “You might not see my face, but there is something about this character that connects with people.
“I’m grateful to have been part of some big projects over the years, but I can honestly say that, more than ‘Jumanji’, more than ‘Rampage’ or ‘Jungle Cruise’, any of those, the one thing that blows people’s minds is that I’m the guy who sings ‘You’re Welcome’.
“I’ve been asked to sing that song in all kinds of places.”
Dwayne will also play Maui in a live-action remake of ‘Moana’ and he is very “excited” about the film.
He said: “I’m so excited about it. It’s the ‘Moana’ story we all love, but it’s live-action this time.
“I can’t say too much, but we have the amazing Tommy Kail directing and it’s the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“It’s a very special celebration of an incredible story that resonates with everybody around the world.”
The actor recently confirmed he has been wearing a bodysuit to play Maui in the live-action 'Moana'.
During an interview with 'Extra', he was asked if he "bulked up" for the 'Moana' part, and he replied: "That’s a suit that took a long time to put on. So, I’m so happy you said: ‘You bulked up,’ because when you say: ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell [I was wearing the suit]."
Dwayne went on to reveal that as well as adding to his muscles, the suit also saved time because it meant he didn't have to spend hours in the make-up chair having the character's many tattoos painted on.
He added: "That is a couple of hours every day of transforming, putting that [the tattoos] on."
