Dwayne Johnson almost played a bald Maui in Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana movie. In a recent interview, Moana songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed why early plans for a bald Maui were abandoned during development.
Why Dwayne Johnson’s Maui wig was almost avoided in live-action Moana
Maui is an integral character in the Moana franchise, and Johnson reprised his role as the demigod in the live-action film.
Appearing on Good Morning America, the How Far I’ll Go songwriter, Lin-Manuel Miranda, shared that early sketches of the movie depicted Maui as bald. He stated, “I remember in one of the early drawings, while we were making the animated version, they drew a bald version because obviously they knew the Rock was going to play him.” (via People)
However, this idea of a bald Maui was scrapped due to cultural significance. Miranda added, “And our cultural trust was like, ‘You can’t do that. Maui’s power is in his hair, it’s part of his mana (spiritual energy).’ It’s really of cultural importance that Maui’s hair be stylin’! So then Dwayne gets this lustrous mane.”
He also admitted that he was a fan of Maui’s locks and compared it to Johnson’s hair in The Mummy films, stating, “Listen, I’m a man of a certain age and I remember (Johnson’s) film debut in The Scorpion King. So I’m always thinking about his luscious locks and I wanted to get back to that era.”
Directors Ron Clements and John Musker shared that giving Maui his signature long hair was one of the key creative changes made during the film’s five-year development. The early concept art also featured tattoos on his head and along the side of his face. Overall, the early design of Maui was heavily inspired by Johnson.
Regardless, the Moana star has been having fun with his mock wig. Recently, Katy Napier posted a TikTok video asking people not to “give up” on their dreams since “The Rock is selling shampoo and conditioner,” referencing his brand, Papatui.
The brand owner responded to the video in his Maui get-up, “Ok, this made me belly laugh.. HARD. And hey, sometimes a Demigod’s radiant and ravishing hair needs shampoo/conditioner ??. You’re Welcooooome ?”(via People)
The Moana live-action movie will be out in theaters on July 10, 2026.
