Museum accused of 'whitewashing' Dwayne Johnson waxwork working to fix skin tone
A museum in France has confirmed it is working round the clock to fix a waxwork figure of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson after he complained about its skin tone.
Earlier this month, the Grevin Museum in Paris revealed its new waxwork of the wrestler-turned-actor. It was met with immediate criticism for its light skin tone, with fans accusing the museum of whitewashing the star .
Johnson is of dual heritage - his father was a black Nova Scotian and his mother is Samoan.
Johnson’s father, Wayde Douglas Bowles, was also a wrestler - known as Rocky Johnson. He was part of the first black tag team to win a WWE championship. Johnson joined a growing number of fans to call on the institution to "update my wax figure with some important details, starting with my skin colour".
Museum director Yves Delhommeau told AFP his staff will be working "all night" to ensure the waxwork is in line with "fans' expectations".
He said the appearance of the waxwork’s skin tone was down to a "lighting issue" that would be addressed.
Mr Delhommeau said Johnson was planning to visit the museum "later on to see if there are other modifications that need to be made".
The waxwork was made by artist Stéphane Barret - who used photos and videos to create the sculpture.
A press release from the museum said the team had put in "painstaking" work to create the finished product. It suggested the model's eyes were redone three times.
Recently, Johnson announced the launch of a relief fund for the people of Maui to rebuild their lives following the deadly US wildfires this summer.
He and US host Oprah Winfrey were part of the team to establish the fund with an initial donation of 10 million dollars (£7.9 million)
The Hollywood duo helped set up the People’s Fund Of Maui which will allow donations to be sent “directly” to the residents whose homes were burned in the fires that incinerated the town of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.
