Dwayne Johnson on Playing Demigod Maui in Disney’s ‘Moana’

This week, Disney’s latest film Moana sails into theaters.

The new tale centers on a young girl named Moana Waialiki, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, who embarks on a quest to save her people. Along the way, she encounters and recruits the help of a demigod named Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson.

“I love the character of Maui,” Johnson told BackstageOL’s Dave Morales. “So in Polynesian folklore and in our own storytelling culturally…we all grew up on stories of Maui. And he’s a trickster. He talks trash. He’s big. He’s vibrant. He’s responsible for pulling up islands out of the ocean, pulling down the sun.”

“I can’t think of another character that I’ve played or probably will ever play like Maui who does all these things and sings, raps a little, gets told off by a little fifteen-year-old girl. It’s great,” Johnson added.

Watch the full interview with Johnson below: