Dwayne Johnson’s new waxwork revealed following skin tone criticism
A museum in Paris has revealed their updated waxwork of Dwayne Johnson, after the actor called them out over its appearance.
The actor’s wax sculpture at the Grévin Museum faced widespread criticism online when it was unveiled last week (October 16), with many highlighting its light skin tone.
Johnson himself later shared a clip on Instagram of comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. roasting the statue, adding that he plans to ask the museum to update the figure with “some important details and improvements – starting with my skin colour”.
On Wednesday (October 25), the Grévin Museum showcased the updated waxwork in a video on Instagram, detailing how updating the figure had been a “major task” for the sculptor.
“A week ago, we unveiled Dwayne Johnson’s waxwork,” Yves Delhommeau, the museum’s managing director, said in the clip. “And we got a big surprise when we put him under the lights. His skin tone seemed too pale. And we suddenly realised we might have got it wrong.”
The figure has since been updated with a slightly darker skin tone, although the outfit and shape of the sculpture has stayed the same.
He added: “Painting on wax is very complicated. It’s a long process, like oil painting. They worked on his skin texture using photos. And we know that Dwayne Johnson looks very different from one photo to the next. We’re going to work on this amazing waxwork so it better represents him.”
At the time of writing, Johnson has not yet issued a response to the updated waxwork.
In the actor’s original post, Johnson said he would visit the museum when he’s next in the French capital. “Next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself,” he wrote.
Speaking about the reasons for the mistake, the museum’s head of PR, Veronique Berecz, cited the fact they had to go off pictures instead of meeting Johnson himself.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet Dwayne Johnson so used several photos – but as it turns out, pictures can be very tricky because the nuances of skin tones can differ depending on the lighting on photos,” Berecz said (via NBC).
“Every time, the sculptor has to determine the exact face and body shapes, the volumes and it’s always a very complicated challenge if we haven’t met the person.”
Other wax sculptures at the museum include Mick Jagger, Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and Louis Armstrong.
The post Dwayne Johnson’s new waxwork revealed following skin tone criticism appeared first on NME.
Adam Starkey
NME
