Maui almost looked VERY different in Moana!
From his 2016 animated debut, to his return in 2024’s animated sequel, to his leap to live action this summer, EVERYONE has come to know and love Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s portrayal of the curly-haired demigod.
But what if we told you Maui nearly had a COMPLETELY different look???
On Thursday, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the man behind some of Disney’s biggest musical hits including Moana’s own How Far I’ll Go, revealed on Good Morning America that Maui was almost going to be BALD in an effort to resemble The Rock’s real-life appearance! Seriously!
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Miranda said:
“… It’s interesting. 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.”
However, a well-placed desire to honor Hawaiian culture led them to add the AH-mazing, curly flow:
“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.”
In 2017, USA Today obtained early sketches of what Lin-Manuel is describing, which you can ch-ch-check out HERE.
WOW!
The Hamilton playwright went on to reveal he’s personally a BIG fan of the long locks The Rock rocked in The Mummy franchise of the early 2000s:
“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.”
Love it!
What are YOUR thoughts here, Perezcious readers?? Would you have been OK with a bald Maui?
Let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via Disney & Walt Disney Animation Studios/YouTube]
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