Throughout the last few years, Disney has been producing live-action remakes of their animated blockbusters, to varying levels of success. Joining the ranks of those movies (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription) is the live-action adaptation Moana, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his voice role as Maui. Although the hulking actor recently admitted he was having some marriage issues while playing the fan-favorite demigod.
There's a ton of hype surrounding the upcoming Disney movie, mostly because the animated Moana was such a huge hit. During a profile for Esquire, Dwayne Johnson admitted he and his wife Lauren were having some marriage issues while filming. Nothing catastrophic, but the type of bumps in the road that happen in most long-term relationships. He spoke about being so far from home during that time and having to bring Maui's positivity to life in the midst of it all. In his words:
And we’re going through our stuff. And you know that, hey, the end goal here is, We’re going to anchor in even stronger and make this thing work. The heartache of it from the moment you wake up and you know: I have to face this, and we have to face it together, when we decide to face it together—which we did—but first I had to go on set, and this character of Maui is a joy bomb. I’m trying to imbue this young girl, Moana, with confidence and power. And, and, and— Every day is a mess.
That does seem challenging. Working any job while going through personal issues is difficult, but having to perform is uniquely hard, especially when actors need to push their feelings down in order to portray positivity and happiness. And I've got to give DJ credit; the Moana trailer shows no indication that he was having such a hard time.
While Dwayne Johnson got some flak for his Moana wig, folks do seem hyped to see the movie's story told in a live-action format. He and his wife have gotten through whatever their issues were, as was obvious in that same interview. Many relationships have ups and downs, and I appreciate that The Smashing Machine actor was so honest about his own; sometimes, celebrities really are just like us.
Johnson is definitely a family man, constantly sharing cute parenting anecdotes on social media. So one can only imagine how much he was distracted by his relationship issues while filming Moana. But the Fast and Furious actor is a consummate professional, and was able to bring Maui to life in live-action. Luckily, audiences will get to see the fruits of that labor shortly.
The new Moana movie is set to arrive in theaters on July 10th as part of the 2026 movie release list. If you prefer the story animated, that's streamable over on Disney+, both of which feature the talents of Dwayne Johnson.
