Yes, even Dwayne Johnson gets intimated.
In Disney's Moana (in theaters Nov. 23), the 6-foot-5 actor and former WWE champ voices Maui: shape shifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of men. Like newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, who voices the titular character, Johnson performs his own musical number in the animated film. Singing solo made him nervous, but with Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda in charge of the movie's soundtrack, the 44-year-old actor knew he was in good hands.
It also helped that Johnson had a captive audience, courtesy of his 11-month-old daughter. "I'm always singing to baby Jasmine, because we're at a point now where she can't shut me up—unlike the other women in my life," he tells E! News' Erin Lim. "I was practicing for this."
"I've sung in the past, and in Polynesian culture, we sing, we dance, we play ukulele or guitar, things like that—but not to this level," Johnson adds. "It's Disney, and there's music involved. In a way, it's a musical. There's a lot of pressure...But I had the best time—really, the best time."
When Johnson hit the recording studio, Miranda gave him the boost of confidence he needed. "I didn't know how challenging Lin is lyrically when he writes. I just knew Lin. He's the king. He was just my dude, right? My buddy. He's great," Johnson recalled. "He sent me the song and I tried it, but it wasn't until after we were done with the session—it was like six hours—that I understood…these are really challenging lyrics in how they're put together, and where you go with it rhythmically and intonation. He goes, 'I want you to know: Feel good about yourself.'"
The compliment floored People's Sexiest Man Alive.
"Because again, I never did it, all right? It was my first shot at this," Johnson said. "He goes, 'I want you to know, you're real good. This is hard. You nailed it.' I was like, 'Thank you so much.'"
To watch Johnson's performance of "You're Welcome," check out Moana, in theaters Nov. 23.