Auli’i Cravalho

The Chance of a Video Tape

Auli’i Cravalho was the last girl in line at a massive casting call in Oahu. She was fourteen and had no real intention of pursuing acting. But fate has a funny way of showing up among the thousands of recordings sent to Disney.

She was the last young woman auditioned for the role of Moana in 2014. The directors were looking for a voice that didn't sound like forced Broadway, and she came across with a naturalness that disarmed the crew. She landed the role without having taken any prior acting lessons in her life.

And luck had nothing to do with it.

Because her debut in 2016 wasn't just voicing an animated drawing. The film grossed more than $600 million and got her to sing at the Oscars ceremony in front of millions of people. She was sixteen when that sudden wave of fame threatened to sweep away her normal life in Hawaii.

Maturity Behind the Mic

The move from animation to live action is often a minefield for child stars. In 2018, she took on the role of Lilette Suarez in the NBC series Rise. It was her first taste of the television work pace and of shooting on location far from the islands.

The series was canceled after just one season due to low ratings. But that setback taught her that the industry doesn't always hand out fairy-tale endings. So she decided to broaden her range by taking on smaller, riskier projects.

In 2020, she starred in All Together Now for Netflix. She played a homeless teenager who lives in a school bus with her mother. The shoot demanded a dramatic weight that moved her far away from the sugary princess image of the Disney machine.

Total Control of the Legacy

2024 brought a revamped take on a teen classic. She played Janis ‘Imi’ike in the new Mean Girls. Her performance was sharp, direct and vocally flawless (especially in the rock musical numbers). She made audiences forget the shadow of the original film with a far more aggressive stage presence.

Auli’i Cravalho doesn't just wait for calls from her agent. In 2023, her role as executive producer of the live-action version of Moana was announced. It's a strategic decision that lets her oversee how her culture is portrayed on the big screen without having to play the character in front of the camera.

She's in charge.

Because she understands that her value lies in her identity and not just in her ability to hit a note. In 2023, she also took part in the Prime Video series The Power. There, she explored a science fiction storyline in which women develop the ability to generate electricity with their hands.

The production of the live-action version of her first major hit is set for release in 2026. Cravalho has made it clear that her priority is finding a new Native actress to carry the torch. The estimated budget for this project exceeds $150 million.