Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has starred in numerous huge blockbusters over the years, but for his 2014 Hercules role his iconic beard was crafted from yak testicle hair by Italian Oscar-nominated designers
Dwayne Johnson has gone on to be one of the biggest names in the industry(Image: Shared Content Unit)
Many film fans are only just discovering that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wore testicle hair on his face for one of his most memorable roles. Dwayne ranks amongst the highest-paid actors on the planet, commanding enormous fees to headline some of Hollywood’s most spectacular blockbusters.
Yet earlier in his film career, the star was required to wear a yak’s pubic hair on his face in the form of a prosthetic beard. Back in 2014, Dwayne took on the title role in Brett Ratner’s Hercules. Ratner is also notable for having directed Amazon-MGM’s Melania documentary.
The 53-year-old former wrestler opened up about his preparation for the demanding role, in which he portrayed Hercules as a battle-hardened mercenary haunted by a troubled past.
Dwayne Johnson starred in Hercules(Image: Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser)
During an appearance on Kelly and Michael in 2014, Dwayne revealed how he endured a punishing eight-month training programme to truly “disappear” into the character, frequently shooting scenes while running on empty. But it was his remarkable beard story that truly grabbed everyone’s attention, reports the Mirror US.
Speaking to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, the hugely popular movie star described the daily routine of applying his wig and beard, saying: “It’s a system, it’s a process, it’s an experience. Every day for five months, every day for three and a half hours.
“So I would get up at 3:30 and train, then I would eat and train again because I had to train again for the role, and then I would go and sit in hair and makeup for three and a half hours for the transformation.”
Dwayne then revealed to Kelly she’d adore his wigs as they’re crafted in Italy by Oscar-nominated designers, before she remarked that despite “looking for the seam,” she couldn’t spot where his wigs began, commending their construction.
But it was at this moment Dwayne dropped the bombshell that to achieve the beard wig’s softness, it had to be fashioned from testicle hair.
“I’ve got to tell you, the beard hair was crazy. The beard hair wasn’t lace. So it had to be put on, strips cut, inch high, quarter inch wide, piece by piece, and so I asked my Iralin designer, I said, ‘Mateo, what is this?’ and he goes, ‘Oh, it’s the hair from a yak,'” Dwayne explained.
Kelly then interjected to highlight that yak hair is “very expensive,” before Dwayne confirmed the hair’s original source, stating, “It’s very fine hair… and he was putting it on my face here, and I said, ‘What part?’ and he said, ‘The testicles.'”
The studio audience burst into laughter as Kelly observed it’s the softest hair, while The Rock nodded in agreement, declaring, “It’s the commitment that I’ll go to.”
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