Musée Grévin said that the museum had no intention of "white washing" the figure Photograph:( X )
The museum's artists made adjustments to Dwayne Johnson's figure within 24 hours, using meticulous oil painting techniques to better match the actor's actual complexion.
Musée Grévin, the iconic wax museum in Paris, has addressed concerns raised by Dwayne Johnson and his fans after the recent unveiling of the actor's wax figure. The issue revolved around the figure's skin tone, which was deemed lighter than the actor's actual complexion.
Dwayne Johnson's wax figure in the Grévin Museum has been updated after backlash. pic.twitter.com/DCG5cPsbyS
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2023
Within 24 hours of the controversy, the museum's artists made adjustments to rectify the skin tone. The modifications were made with meticulous oil painting techniques, resulting in a figure that more accurately represents Dwayne Johnson.
Veronique Berecz, Musée Grévin's head of PR, said that the museum had no intention of "white washing" the figure. Instead, the discrepancy in skin tone was attributed to the challenges of recreating a lifelike wax figure based solely on reference photos and not the actual person. Lighting conditions in these photos can distort the perception of skin tones, making achieving accuracy a complex task, especially when they have not met the subject in person.
The creation of Johnson's wax figure was a unique endeavour, necessitating a casting process to find a model with body measurements similar to the actor's imposing physique. The initial unveiling took place after Johnson won the inaugural Grévin Awards, a prize decided by fans who select their favorite pop culture icon for wax immortalisation.
Controversy erupted when fans and the public noticed the disparity in the figure's skin tone. Viral videos on social media, including one by comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. comparing Johnson's wax figure to David Beckham, prompted Johnson to voice his concerns on Instagram.
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Jefferson dubbed the renowned wrestler and actor "The Pebble," and went on to comment, "It looks like The Rock hasn't seen the sun a day in his life."
Johnson, who shared Jefferson's video on his Instagram account, maintained a good-natured approach, expressing his willingness to visit the museum and share a drink with the team during his next trip to Paris.
"For the record, I'm going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum in Paris, France so we can work at 'updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements - starting with my skin color," he said.