Dwayne Johnson looks unrecognisable as a frail 70-year-old man in new set photos from Benny Safdie's Lizard Music
Photos from the New York shoot show Johnson wearing grey hair, white facial hair and prosthetics to play Chicken Man in director Benny Safdie's new film.
It’s hard to imagine Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, looking old and frail. But cinema can make even the wildest transformations come true. The actor has left fans stunned with his unrecognisable look as an elderly man in his upcoming fantasy adventure film, Lizard Music. Recently, photos of Dwayne from the film’s shoot in New York surfaced online.

Dwayne Johnson looks unrecognisable
The actor was seen wearing a beige jacket, a bucket hat, a blue shirt and a printed tie in the photos. Sporting a grey wig, white facial hair and prosthetics to make him look older, the former WWE star looked unrecognisable, a far cry from his usual beefed-up self. He was also photographed walking with his young co-star, Theo Leber.
Fans were surprised by Dwayne's look. A comment read, “I thought that was Morgan Freeman biopic.” Another comment read, “I love seeing his range.” One more comment read, “He really wants that Oscar.”
About Lizard Music
Dwayne has reunited with director Benny Safdie for the upcoming fantasy adventure film. The two last collaborated on the sports drama The Smashing Machine (2025).
The film is an adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater’s 1976 children’s novel of the same name. According to the official synopsis, the story follows a young boy who discovers unusual lizard musicians during a late-night television broadcast. This leads him to meet a peculiar elderly man accompanied by a chicken. Johnson plays a 70-year-old man known as Chicken Man.
According to a report by Variety, Johnson’s ageing look was designed by Kazu Hiro, the Oscar-winning makeup artist known for transforming Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Hiro also worked on Charlize Theron’s transformation into journalist Megyn Kelly in Bombshell.
Hiro recently worked on Digger, creating Tom Cruise’s transformation into Digger Rockwell, an ageing billionaire oil tycoon. Interestingly, he has previously collaborated with Johnson on The Smashing Machine, designing the prosthetics that helped the actor portray boxer Mark Kerr.
Lizard Music also stars Rachel McAdams, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Alicia Silverstone and Regina Hall. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on Christmas Day next year. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Dwayne previously shared how he came on board the project. He said, “Benny pitched me this after we wrapped The Smashing Machine, and after about 45 minutes, his pitch ended, and I said, ‘I am your Chicken Man.’”
He added, “Now what that means is, without giving too much away, the role that I will play is a very whimsical and eccentric 70-something-year-old man called the Chicken Man, and his best friend is a 70-something-year-old chicken.”
Lizard Music will release on Christmas next year.
ABOUT THE AUTHORVibha MaruVibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). She began her career covering Delhi's cultural scene, food, nightlife, concerts, and city life at The Times of India, before moving into full-time entertainment journalism with India Today. At India Today, Vibha interviewed some of the biggest names in Bollywood and television while carving a niche for herself through film reviews, opinion pieces, nostalgic features, celebrity interviews, and trend-driven stories. She later brought her storytelling and editorial expertise to The Indian Express, where she continued to deepen her understanding of cinema through long-form entertainment explainers, retrospectives and feature writing. Now, as Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times Entertainment, Vibha continues to chronicle the world of movies and pop culture. Her work spans breaking entertainment news, exclusive interviews, celebrity features, and stories that capture the conversations shaping Indian cinema.Read More

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