“To Become a High Chief” – Dwayne Johnson Once Revealed How His Grandfather Inspired Him to Do a Movie Which Blew Up the Box Office With $690.8 Million in Revenue

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes great pride in his tribal roots. The Samoan wrestler and Hollywood star has never shied away from acknowledging the gifts of his tribal bloodline. While these gifts have greatly benefited The Rock with his wrestling, they also lent a hand in his Hollywood career.

In a recently resurfaced interview, Johnson revealed that his ancestry also contributed to the inspiration of a character he played. The Rock mentioned that the character was based on his grandfather, and appealed greatly to the audience.

The Rock reveals a “chief” ingredient of Maui’s character

The Rock never ceases to amaze his audience with his acting. However, one knows that he can easily captivate anybody even with his voice and his dialogue. The Rock’s signature charisma and comic timing won the hearts of people even when he was off the screen. The character of the demigod ‘Maui’ from Moana holds a special place in the hearts of kids and adults alike. 

The tribal warrior was more than brute strength and was beautifully portrayed by The Rock. However, the contribution in making that character a success belonged to not one, but two Samoans. Johnson made the exciting revelation on The Graham Norton Show.

The Rock said, “Maui was based off of my grandfather. With the long hair and very big build and tattoos. And in Polynesian culture and Samoan culture…to become a high chief you have tattoos.”  

Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, was also a wrestler and wrestled in several different countries. The Rock also said that he had tattoos all over his body, which showed his rank as the high chief. 

When the interviewer emphasized the tattoos need to cover everything Johnson said, “Well uh that’s what I heard I heard everything, yes working around.”

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Interestingly, while Maui has already amazed people as an animation character, he will soon hit the screens again. The live-action movie is currently being worked on and Johnson will star as Maui.

Bringing Maui to the flesh

The live-action remake of Moana is set to hit the screens in 2025. The cast in the 2016 Disney animation included Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Auliʻi Cravalho, Temuera Morrison, Rachel House, Nicolle Scherzinger, Jermaine Clement, and Alan Tudyk. But there are likely to be a few changes after Cravalho, who voiced the lead Moana said she won’t play the live-action role but will work on the film as an executive producer. The Rock was one of the first people to announce the movie via his official Instagram handle.

The animated movie made under the aegis of Disney was released in 2016 and was a box office hit. It earned a whopping $690.8 million and brought a lot of fame to its cast. Despite the movie being just seven years old, the colossal success of the film has prompted a live-action remake. 

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Fans have their eyes peeled to see Johnson return to the screens as Maui but in the flesh this time. Did you like the character of Maui in Moana? What are your thoughts about the live-action adaptation? Let your words take center stage in the comments section.