Donning Native-designed aloha attire or smiling with a pua behind her ear, Auliʻi Cravalho has carried a piece of Hawaiʻi with her in all of her career endeavors. Most recently starring as Janis ʻImiʻike in Mean Girls (2024) and as Sally Bowles in the Broadway revival of Cabaret, the 24-year-old Kānaka Maoli actor has spent the last decade proving how far she’ll go. Best known for her debut voicing the titular character of Disney’s Moana (2016) and Moana 2 (2024), Cravalho has not allowed the typical pressures faced by a young actor in Hollywood deter her from bringing her culture and her home to the forefront. The Kohala-born actor has also starred in the NBC drama series Rise (2018), the Netflix drama film All Together Now (2020), the Prime Video series The Power (2023), and the Hulu romantic comedy Crush (2022).

Cravalho is a longtime champion of environmentalism, LGBTQIA+ rights, and Indigenous rights who has never forgotten her roots. in April, Cravalho attended the London premiere of the coral reef restoration documentary Reef Builders, on which she had served as an associate producer. Her dedication to her culture and its preservation is more than just skin deep—itʻs in her bones, her heart, and her soul.

After acting as the voice of Moana, how does it feel to pass your character to Catherine Laga’aia in the forthcoming live-action adaptation of Moana?
Moana will always be a huge part of my story that I am forever grateful for. Our film’s genuine connection to Pacific Culture, and badass female lead allowed many young women to see themselves on screen, wholly and unapologetically, for the first time. I have wonderfully shared this character with the forty-five other voice actresses that brought her to life worldwide, and with our live action film coming out in 2026, a whole other generation of young people will be able to feel her waves of impact. Moana is the gift that keeps on giving.

What did you learn when working on Reef Builders, and how did that experience shape or impact your affinity for ocean conservationism?
Ocean health has always been important to me, long before Moana. As a Kānaka Maoli, or Native Hawaiian, I know firsthand how the ocean sustains livelihoods and serves as a point of spiritual connection for Pacific peoples. Reef Builders focuses on man-made solutions to man-made problems, rebuilding coral reefs from Indonesia to Hawaiʻi and many communities and coasts in between.

How do you think your generation is shaping the future of storytelling? Are there particular themes or voices you feel are finally getting attention?
While I’m elated studios are more interested in Indigenous, POC, and women-led stories, the question is always, “For how long?” But the millennials have put in the work! By populating writers’ rooms with up-and-coming talent, and becoming directors, producers, and executives who stand on business when it comes to diversity and inclusion, regardless of administration, I am grateful to those before me who have wedged the heavy door of opportunity open. And you can bet I’m swinging that door open even further for the young women beside me, in turn.

Photographed by Kevin Amato 

Styled by Michy Foster

Written by Hailey Akau

Hair: Cynthia Alvarez

Makeup: Kirin Bhatty at  A-Frame Agency 

Cinematography: Timothy Shin

B-Cam Operator: Simon Gulergun

Flaunt Film Colorist: Jacob Barajas-Santos