A-Lister Looks Unrecognizable in Extreme Old-Man Transformation
The actor’s transformation included losing 30 pounds.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is completely unrecognizable in a new role.
The 54-year-old retired wrestler was photographed in Brooklyn, New York City, on Oct. 20 while filming his next project, the adventure film Lizard Music.
Many fans struggled to recognize Johnson, who used prosthetics, makeup, a gray wig, and a gray beard to make him look two decades older. He reportedly also lost 30 pounds of muscle for the role.
His outfit included a blue collared shirt, a tan coat, and green pants. He accessorized with earrings, a bucket hat, a tie, and sneakers.
Dwayne Johnson as “Chicken Man” on the set of “Lizard Music” on October 20, 2026, in New York City.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images
The dramatic facial transformation, designed by renowned prosthetic makeup artist Kazu Hiro, made it hard for many to recognize Johnson.
One person wrote on Instagram that, before reading Johnson’s name in the caption, they thought the photos were “of a random old guy eating a slice of pizza.”
Dwayne Johnson, pictured at the 2026 roast of Kevin Hart, typically wears modern, high-fashion ensembles.
Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix
Many said Johnson’s transformation made him look like Morgan Freeman, while others simply claimed, “That’s not the Rock.”
A fully transformed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson films on the set of "Lizard Music" in Brooklyn, New York, on October 20, 2026.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
“I genuinely had to look twice because that transformation is wild,” one person wrote on X.
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Hiro also did the prosthetic makeup for Tom Cruise’s transformation into an elderly oil magnate for the 2026 dark comedy Digger.
Theo Leber and Dwayne Johnson on the set of “Lizard Music” on October 20, 2026, in Brooklyn, New York City.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
In the movie, Johnson plays a man in his seventies known as “Chicken Man,” whom a young boy, played by Theo Clark Leber, befriends. The film is scheduled for release on Dec. 25, 2027.
Some fans have worried about Johnson’s weight loss online, but he told Variety in Sept. 2025 that he was looking forward to changing his appearance for the role.
“I’m so excited to get a chance to hopefully transform again like I was able to do in ‘Smashing Machine,’” he said. “[It means] eating less chicken.”
Dwayne Johnson in the 2025 sports drama “The Smashing Machine.”
Eric Zachanowich/A24
Johnson also worked with Lizard Music’s director Benny Safdie on his 2025 film The Smashing Machine, in which Johnson played MMA champion Mark Kerr and underwent a transformation that included gaining weight and wearing a wig.
“For me, the transformation was 22 prosthetics, over 30 pounds that I had to put on, which is a lot of weight,” he said on Good Morning America in October 2025. The role earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
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