Moana's Catherine Laga'aia Reveals Sweet Message From Auli’i Cravalho

Dwayne Johnson Shares Why His ‘Moana’ Role Was "Jarring" for His Kids

Auli’i Cravalho happily made way for Catherine Laga'aia.

The voice of Moana made sure to welcome her live-action counterpart into the fold as Laga'aia prepared for her role in Moana—which hits theaters on July 10.

“I had gotten an email from Auli’i, which was so special, because this is her baby,” Laga'aia exclusively shared with E! News’ Will Marfuggi during a joint interview with costar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “This is what she made and she created.”

“So to have the tick of approval, the OK from her to be able to step into this with her full support and pride behind me,” she continued, “I felt like every piece of the puzzle had lined up for me to take this into my own and step forward with it.”

The 19-year-old had also received an equally exciting voice message from Johnson during the casting process, adding that she initially had no idea who would be calling her.

“It was an American phone number,” she recalled, “and I was like, ‘I don't know who this is.’ I thought it was a spam caller.”

But as Johnson has “such a famous voice,” she immediately knew he would be telling her “You’re welcome.”

Disney

“I heard it, and it was like, ‘Aloha Katie,’” she laughed while doing her best impression of Johnson. “I was like, ‘There's actually no way, There's no way.’”

But there certainly was a way, with Laga'aia taking on the role of Moana that Cravalho made famous in the 2016 cartoon and its 2024 sequel.

And Cravalho was still called to the live-action version, not just as a producer but also as a singer, teaming up with Laga'aia and Johnson for the new song “Along The Way,” written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

“’Along The Way’ is the perfect symbolism for this movie,” Laga'aia shared in a video posted to Instagram June 15. “Dwayne and Auli’i sing about finding me along the way and our journeys colliding.”

As for Cravalho, the 25-year-old was honored to be watching Laga'aia take on the role of Moana.

“Being able to pass the baton to Catherine is really important for me,” she said. “To see her take on the life of this character is such a joy.”

For more movies hitting the big screen this year, keep reading.

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