A Parisian wax museum, which received backlash for its portrayal of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a white figure, has announced plans to redo the statue.
The Musée Grévin recently revealed their wax figure of the former wrestler and current actor, inspired by London’s Madame Tussauds. However, the figure was met with criticism on social media and even by the Fast and Furious star it portrays.
One user on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, stated that The Rock had been whitewashed. Another user compared the figure to the character Mr Clean. The Instagram account The Shade Room described the figure as lacking melanin.
Johnson, who was born in California, has a Samoan mother and a Black Canadian father.
On Sunday evening, he added to the criticism by sharing a video on his Instagram page featuring comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr expressing feeling “slightly offended” by the statue.
“I have a feeling that he is employed at H&R Block or a similar company… Did you all experience this same disappointment when The Little Mermaid was no longer available? I can relate,” the comedian jokingly remarked. “It appears that The Rock has never been outside in the sun… He could even be part of the royal family.”
Johnson included in his video message that he plans to have his team contact Grevin Museum in Paris, France to make necessary changes and enhancements to his wax figure, specifically addressing the issue of skin color.
The next time I visit Paris, I plan on stopping by and enjoying a drink by myself.
The Musée Grévin announced on Instagram that they are making improvements to one of their celebrity wax figures, which is part of their collection of 250 statues. They expressed gratitude for feedback from visitors.
Last week, the Musée Grévin unveiled Johnson’s statue, which presented numerous challenges to sculptor Stéphane Barret. Due to the lack of access to the subject, Barret had to rely solely on photos and videos during the creation process.
“The teams visited various gyms in search of a man who had comparable measurements to The Rock. According to the museum, it took the painters 10 days of meticulous effort and extensive research to accurately recreate the star’s Samoan tattoos. Additionally, the statue’s eyes were redone three times to prevent the color from being too dark and removing the warm aspect of the star’s face.”
Source: theguardian.com
