Dwayne Johnson is speaking out about the mixed reviews of his latest movie, the live-action adaptation of Moana.
The 54-year-old actor reprised his animated role of Maui in the movie musical, which was released in theaters a month ago.
While the movie debuted at the top of the box office in its opening weekend and is “verified fresh” by audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, critics offered mixed reviews.
In a new interview, Dwayne shared his thoughts on the reactions to the live-action adaptation.
“Our first two reviews came out,” the actor told People. “I’ll never forget it… They were amazing. I was like, wow.”
He then adds with a laugh that the reviews “went another way… as sometimes happens.”
“That’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business,” Dwayne says, adding that he and his wife, Lauren Hashian, “had a lot of these conversations at home, at the kitchen island late at night when the babies are asleep.”
“The challenge was, okay, let’s remember, though, what’s going to be beyond this opening weekend,” he recalled. “Let’s remember what’s happening right now and the noise that’s happening right now.”
“If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem,” he added, saying that what “really mattered” was that “the culture really stood up.”
The Polynesian culture inspired the world of Moana, and Dwayne‘s own Samoan heritage comes from his mom, Ata, who was at the Los Angeles premiere with him.
Dwayne says the culture is “why the movie was made, because of me and our kids who can now look at the big screen and go, ‘That’s us for the first time on a big screen. That’s us up there. How cool is that?’”
If you missed it, Dwayne recently revealed that a third animated Moana movie is in the works!
The post Dwayne Johnson Reacts to Mixed Reviews of Live-Action ‘Moana’ Movie: ‘That’s Just the Way It Goes’ appeared first on Just Jared – Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.