Worst celebrity wax statues that don’t look like the real star at all

Lifelike wax statues pay tribute to iconic celebrities and the impressive stature they have built in their respective fields. These figures look so real that often, it is difficult to tell the actual personalities apart. They honour these star’s monumental influence, giving a physical form to their legacy. However, sometimes, the makers fail to capture the most obvious detail. As a result, these celebrity wax statues look nothing close to the real person despite them being draped in exquisite designer clothes and displayed in their renowned poses.

From disproportionate features to mismatched skin tones and odd expressions, these inaccurate wax figures have grabbed attention for all the wrong reasons. In fact, not just netizens, celebrities, too, have criticised some of their wax statues for getting the assignment off.

Recently, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s statue in the Musée Grévin wax museum in Paris sparked a row over depicting the Fast and Furious actor with a lighter complexion and more chiselled features. In October 2023, Johnson shared a video of comedian James Jefferson commenting on the fair skin tone of the wax figure. At one point, Jefferson even quipped, “You made the rock look like a pebble.”

With this latest mistake on the part of the sculptors, Johnson joins a list that also has celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Beyoncé, all subjects of questionable wax replicas.

These are some of the worst celebrity wax statues that will keep you guessing who they are

Dwayne Johnson

In October 2023, Musée Grévin in Paris unveiled a wax figure of The Rock, and it sent the internet into a frenzy. While the model got the basics of Johnson’s features correct, what earned all the wrong comments was its skin colour and the overall squeaky clean appearance. While his beefy biceps, bald head and tattoo are on point, the statue has an unmissable fair appearance which doesn’t resemble the actor; so much so that fans compared it to the mascot of Mr. Clean.

Taking to his Instagram, Johnson called out the statue and wrote, “For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France 🇫🇷 so we can work at ‘updating’ my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color [sic].” However, he did acknowledge the honour and said, “And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.”

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne’s wax figure at the Hollywood Wax Museum, which was revealed in 2022 is currently going viralpic.twitter.com/FOxPvbTSLk

— No Jumper (@nojumper) October 23, 2023

Shortly after the faux pas around Johnson’s wax figure, a wax replica of the “Lollipop” crooner went viral on the internet, sparking a wave of ridicule across social media. Standing in the Hollywood Wax Museum in Tennessee since the summer of 2022, the statue carries his locks and tattoos but significantly misses the mark in resembling the artist.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the rapper said, “Sorry wax museum but dat sh*t ain’t me! You tried tho and I appreciate the effort.”

Beyoncé

While her music and personality might be flawless, Beyoncé’s wax figure isn’t. Time and again, her replicas have faced backlash from fans and visitors for misrepresenting her features and skin tone.

In 2004, London‘s iconic Madame Tussauds unveiled an orange-clad Beyoncé figure after Dangerously In Love (2003) was released. It was inspired by her “Crazy in Love” music video look. However, her fair complexion, hair and makeup fell short of accurately depicting her.

Four years later, in 2008, Tussauds Hollywood, California, revealed another wax statue of the celebrity where she is dressed in silver in the iconic pose of greeting the audience. This was followed by another replica in 2009 at the Los Angeles Madame Tussauds, replicating her “Single Ladies” look. Both these models received flak for slimming down the megastar and making her skin look unnaturally light.

The 2017 wax statue at Tussauds Delhi made a stark development featuring the music icon’s blonde waves; however, Twitteratti was quick to point out the whiter tone and an uncanny resemblance to Lindsay Lohan. The 2019 Beychella-inspired statue and the 2023 iteration at Madame Tussauds in Berlin showed the house stepping up their game, albeit hawk-eyed BeyHive members were still hard to impress.

The latter shows her sporting a black and white dress with geometric patterns, similar to the one she wore during the 2018 On The Run II tour with Jay Z. According to the Independent, it received mixed reactions as some called it “They were so close yet so far”, “So THIS is what people mean when they say ‘uncanny valley,’” and “This looks like a person that isn’t Beyoncé but looks kinda like Beyoncé.”

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj celebrated the first anniversary of her “Anaconda” music video in August 2015 in style. Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas honoured her with an iconic wax figure of the rapper in the same outfit as in the video. With this, Minaj became the first female rapper to have a wax statue at Madame Tussauds.

While the singer gave a thumbs up to the figure, which depicts a pose from the video, surrounded by dancers, netizens criticised it. Though the outfit matches the song, the face, features and skin tones are quite off. In 2020, the statue was shifted to the museum’s Berlin location, where many fans saw it for the first time and were left aghast.

Business Insider cited several X posts by fans that showed their outcry. While one said, “I can’t stand Nicki… but that wax figure was straight disrespectful”, others said, “whoever created that Wax Figure of Nicki should be ashamed of themselves” and “If i was Nicki i would raise hell over that wax figure. The disrespect. Smh.”

Shah Rukh Khan

The Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan has also been immortalised in wax likenesses across several Madame Tussauds locations, including London, California, New York and Delhi.

In one instance, the wax figure at the California museum showed King Khan with a rather lighter complexion and a deformed facial structure. The statue bears the actor’s unmissable dimple, yet it somehow misses the mark to capture his charm and aura.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan also has wax figures at several Madame Tussauds, and this statue mimics her look from the song “Chammak Challo” from Ra. One (2011). The Indian Express said it was initially dressed in a black top and harem pants to honour her look from the song “Mauja Mauja” from Jab We Met (2007) when it was first unveiled in Blackpool in 2011.

While the actress lauded the effort and complimented the makers, this celebrity wax figure failed to uphold her bright laughter, her facial structure and the overall charm and candour.

Justin Bieber

For a teen music star who rose to fame for his catchy beats and handsome boyish charm, Justin Bieber’s wax figure doesn’t do enough justice. In 2011, one of his statues was unveiled at Madame Tussauds London that didn’t seem to get the facial features accurate. However, that did not stop hoards of young girls from flocking to the figure and posing for photographs up close with the “Baby” star. The same year, his wax statues were also opened at the museum’s New York and Amsterdam locations.

In September 2014, another wax statue of Beiber was unveiled at the Friend Movement’s 2014 Stardust Soiree at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood, and it has little to no resemblance with its real-life counterpart.

However, in 2016, Madame Tussauds London rolled out another figure featuring a shirtless Beiber after wrapping up his epic Purpose World Tour (2015). “Inspired by the jaw-dropping climax of the tour, the experience stars Bieber in front of a spectacular wall of rain in the heart of our Party area,” states the museum website.

It adds, “The 22-year-old singing sensation’s figure is topless, showing a toned torso off to perfection, with Bieber’s trademark tattoos also carefully recreated and wearing dropcrotch shorts and tartan long johns, accompanied by a white bandana.” It continued to gain massive love but is no longer on display.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande’s May 2019 statue at Madame Tussauds London was yet another case of mismatched complexion and features.

Fans were quick to share their disappointment, and PEOPLE quoted one posting on X, “Nothing against the work, but … that’s really bad”, and another wrote, “the longer i look,, the more confused i get.” Another fan called it “actually offensive”, too.

In April 2019, Madame Tussauds asked Arianators to vote for their favourite look for their idol’s wax statue. Among ‘Classic Ari’, ‘Sassy Ari’ and ‘Princess Ari’, ‘Classic Ari’ emerged as the winner. Although the high ponytail and Grande’s penchant for sweatshirts and thigh-high boots were there, the figure was essentially deformed.

According to W Magazine, Grande, too, weighed in on the deformity and commented, “I just wanna talk” on an Instagram post highlighting the figure.

Justin Timberlake

A smirk and a raised eyebrow, along with an altered face shape, made this Justin Timberlake likeness look absolutely nothing like the actual person. It was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Berlin in 2014.

Similar iterations were seen in 2015 at the museum in Amsterdam. Clothed in a white shirt, black coat and red tie, the figure sported a balding head and sparse beard, which made it look unlike the “Cry Me River” star.

Jennifer Lopez

One wax likeness, which was unveiled at Madame Tussauds, New York, in 2005, featured a strikingly fairer tone, flat head and overall shrunken features that don’t accurately replicate the Puerto Rican diva.

However, in 2011, another wax statue by Madame Tussauds Hollywood got backlash for changing the “Jenny From The Block” star’s looks. Slimmer hands, wider hips and a fair complexion made the replica look completely mismatched.

Selena Gomez

On the list of worst celebrity wax statues, Many music stars such as the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Adele have wax figures with some deformity or the other. Selena Gomez’s 2014 statue at Madame Tussauds, New York, also joins the same order.

The figure wears a white top with black shorts, boots and chunky jewellery and bears a lot of resemblance with the “Bad Liar” singer, yet the thick brows, thin lips and buck teeth make it somewhat off the mark.

(Hero and feature image: Courtesy Stefano Rellandini/AFP)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

-Which actors have a wax statue?
Renowned actors like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Chris Hemsworth, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio and Deepika Padukone have wax statues.

-Whose wax figures in London are famous?
Wax statues of the British Royal Family, Beyonce, Harry Styles, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch are among the most famous ones in London.

-Do they pay the celebrities for wax figures?
According to The Guardian, Madame Tussauds doesn’t pay or have any binding contracts with celebrities for making their wax statues. However, getting permission from them is the main task. According to the museum’s website, it can take about three to four months to erect a lifesize replica, which can cost about EUR 250,000 (about USD 271,282).

-How do wax figures look so real?
Photographs from different angles, accurate measurements, iconic poses and clothes given by the celebrities themselves are some of the basic things that make wax figures look so real.