Dwayne Johnson is opening up about his decision to wear a skirt as part of his look for the 2026 Met Gala on Monday.

The Moana actor made his debut at fashion‘s biggest night, wearing a custom all-black Thom Browne ensemble that featured a mohair tailcoat, white vest and a pleated skirt over trousers. He walked the carpet alongside his wife, Lauren Hashian, who was wearing a white halter-neck dress by the designer.

When asked about his look by reporters, Johnson said it was in part inspired by his Polynesian culture, where “the most masculine men wear skirts.”

“I feel great!” he replied. “First, [Thom Browne’s team] sent the illustrations over and [asked], ‘Hey, is DJ going to be cool with this pleated skirt?’ And I was like, ‘Look, in our culture, Polynesian culture, we rock lavalavas, we rock skirts.’ The most masculine men, not that I’m one of them, but the most masculine men wear lavalavas and skirts.”

Elsewhere on the carpet, the Jumanji actor was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he’s the art or the artist, as this year’s theme was “Costume Art.”

He said he was chatting with his friend and fellow actor Colman Domingo, who was also in attendance at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, about “what this is is the beauty of art, and sometimes it’s a walking expression of art, and I could feel that. So am I the art or the artist? I think I’m both, and maybe that’s a cool place to be in.”

The dress code for the 2026 Met Gala was “Fashion Is Art,” while this year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” examined “the centrality of the dressed body throughout time and culture, juxtaposing garments and works of art from across the Museum’s vast collection to create pairings that highlight the indivisible connection between clothing and the body,” according to the official descriptions.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour served as this year’s co-chairs, while Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos were the honorary chairs. 

See all the Met Gala looks here, and catch up on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Met Gala coverage here.