Dwayne Johnson Looks Unrecognizable With New Look on Movie Set

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US actor and wrestler Dwayne Johnson arrives for the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, on May 4, 2026.

Dwayne Johnson is giving fans a glimpse of a very different side of himself in his latest movie role.

The actor, 54, was spotted filming “Lizard Music” in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, sporting gray hair, silver facial stubble and age spots that made him look almost unrecognizable.

The dramatic transformation is a departure from the muscular appearance audiences have come to expect from the Hollywood star.

Johnson was photographed alongside child actor Theo Clark Leber, who also stars in the upcoming film.

For the scene, Johnson wore a tan bucket hat and matching coat over a blue shirt, gray pants and a blue tie. He also sported earrings in both ears while carrying a slice of pizza.

Fans React to His New Look

The actor’s appearance quickly caught fans’ attention, with several people praising the makeup team’s work and noting how different he looked.

“Wow great makeup work I hardly knew it was him,” one person commented.

Another wrote, “Finally, A film where he’s not playing himself!”

Others compared the transformed actor to familiar Hollywood faces, with one fan admitting, “Thought it was Morgan Freeman at first glance.” Another said, “I thought that was Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

“Good to see him showing off his true versatility,” another fan added.

The transformation comes as Johnson continues to explore roles beyond the action-heavy characters that helped make him a global star.

He recently earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his performance in “The Smashing Machine,” in which he portrayed former mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr.

Lizard Music marks Johnson’s second collaboration with writer-director Benny Safdie, who also directed “The Smashing Machine.” However, the new project takes the actor in a very different direction.

What We Know About the Upcoming Film

According to Deadline, the film is based on Daniel Pinkwater’s children’s book of the same name. Johnson plays an eccentric older character known as The Chicken Man, who befriends a young boy played by Leber.

The story begins when the boy discovers a mysterious late-night broadcast featuring lizards playing unusual music. The strange discovery leads him toward a world of unexpected adventures.

As Deadline’s synopsis explains, “His search for answers leads him to an eccentric and whimsical old man nicknamed The Chicken Man and his beloved companion, an 85-year-old chicken named Claudia – the boy and the old man become kindred spirits who find each other at just the right time.”

The unusual premise offers Johnson an opportunity to move away from the larger-than-life roles that have defined much of his career.

The film also features an impressive ensemble cast. Alicia Silverstone, Tim Heidecker, David Krumholtz, Arya Parvathi, Regina Hall, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, and Andrew Dice Clay are among the stars appearing alongside Johnson.

The film is slated to be released on December 25, 2027.

The first glimpses of Johnson on set have already generated excitement among fans.

For viewers accustomed to seeing the actor with his signature muscular build and clean-shaven head, his transformation into the gray-haired Chicken Man offers a striking preview of what is to come.