Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reflected on one part of his wrestling past that has gone in and out of fashion — his eyebrows.
More specifically, waxing his eyebrows.
During a Nov. 27 segment on TODAY, Johnson played a game called “Moana or Noana,” a nod to the premiere of “Moana 2.” If Johnson wanted more of something, he would say “Moana,” and if he didn’t, he replied, “Noana.”
When the topic of waxing his eyebrows was raised, he was quick to respond.
“OK, look at everybody laughing at that,” he said. “Used to be Moana. Now, Noana.”
He went on to explain what he meant, saying, “So, back in the day, when my job was throwing around 300-pound men for a living, in my underwear, I would, like, raise my eyebrow. That was my thing. I started getting it plucked.”
The WWE star and actor is starring the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2016 film “Moana,” in theaters on Nov. 27.
Johnson, 52, is reprising his role as the voice of Maui, a shapeshifting demigod based off of Polynesian mythology, and he talked about getting to act alongside two of his three daughters, who voice characters in the sequel.
“One’s eight and one’s six,” he said. “They were just, like, beside themselves, like, ‘That’s me! That’s us!’ But here is the cool thing, is my little girls, they see themselves in Moana. And they love that Maui is their daddy.
“My ego, I will hold onto that, as long as I can,” he continued. “Daddy is a demigod. Yes, I can do everything. You could pull islands out of the sea? Yes, I can.”
Johnson, whose mother is Samoan, reflected on his connection to Polynesian culture after spending part of his childhood living in Hawaii.
“Hawaii’s home. When I was younger as a kid here, it represents struggle. And eventually, we were forced off the island because you couldn’t pay the rent. I always like to say this is the most definitive place that has defined my life and my career, is here in Hawaii,” he said.
He added that representation has become “critical” in navigating the projects he wants to be a part of.
“I’m proud that there’s no blueprint. There’s no Black Samoan kid who raises an eyebrow and has come from this crazy world of pro wrestling,” he said. “So, once I got a little bit of success underneath my belt, I started to realize the importance of representation and how important that is.”
Johnson, who’s now one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors after his performances in franchises like “The Mummy,” “Jumanji” and “The Fast and the Furious,” shared the secret to his confidence.
“The confidence comes from screwing up. There’s faux confidence out there. That was my jam, for a long time,” he said as he laughed. “Fake it, ’til you make it. And I’ve been there. I’ve been down that road. I know what it’s like. I didn’t like it, but it helped me.”
Johnson shared what he’s looking forward to fans seeing in “Moana 2.”
