Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson says new wax figure in Paris needs 'improvements' after roasted online
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new wax figure at the Grévin Museum in Paris needs "improvements," the wrestler-turned-actor said after it got roasted on social media.
Johnson, 51, shared a video on Instagram Sunday from comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr., who skewered the artist behind the wax model for not matching the figure's skin tone to the "Black Adam" star.
Jefferson joked that The Rock looked more like "a pebble," David Beckham or a member of the British royal family because of the light complexion.
"If this how y’all felt when you lost 'The Little Mermaid,' I understand," the comedian said, in a cheeky reference to the backlash Halle Bailey faced as a Black actress portraying Ariel in the live-action Disney film.
In his caption, Johnson said he "legit belly laughed" at "The Little Mermaid" remark.
"For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris Franceso we can work at 'updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color," Johnson added. "And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself."
USA TODAY has reached out to the Grévin Museum for comment.
The Paris-based museum unveiled the wax model of Johnson earlier this month, created by sculptor Stéphane Barret.
In a press release, the museum noted that Barret "had to rely on photos and videos to create a statue as close to reality as possible, without the presence of the international star" and went to local gyms to find men closely built to the former WWE champion.
"The star's Samoan tattoos took the painter 10 days of painstaking work and a lot of research," the release adds.
'I could've been better':Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson responds to Maui wildfire fund backlash
Barret expressed that he "was really excited" to sculpt Johnson in a statement included in the press release. "It's true that it's always impressive to make people of this size. We were lucky enough to find someone who physically matched Dwayne Johnson's build and height. That really allowed us to get it right," the artist said.
The sculptor noted that his biggest challenge in creating Johnson's wax model was replicating the actor's smirk. "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 concluded.
Beyoncé's new wax figureat Madame Tussauds tributes her iconic Coachella performance