Just in time for the release of Moana 2, Auli’i Cravalho is sharing how the first movie released in 2016 changed her life and that of her mother. The sequel about a brave explorer named Moana and her continued adventures made an estimated $221 million over the Thanksgiving weekend according to Deadline. It fought against other heavy hitters like Gladiator II and Wicked.
Almost a decade later, the 24-year-old Cravalho reflected on how Moana changed her life according to People. When she first booked the role her and her mother Puanani were living in a one-bedroom apartment in Mililani in Oahu, Hawai’i. Her parents had divorced, they were on food stamps, and her mother made sacrifices to give her daughter a good life.
Cravalho said, “We lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Mililani when I was cast. I slept in the bedroom, my mom slept on the couch. She gave me everything.” And her parents made it clear that if this Disney thing didn’t go anywhere, she kept her head on straight. “My parents were like, ‘Listen, if [Moana] doesn’t go anywhere, you need to finish high school. You need to do the dishes. You need to fix your bed. Don’t let it get to your head.'”
Obviously it did work out and Cravalho now has multiple projects under her belt and recently made her Broadway debut with Cabaret. But she never forgot about her mom and the sacrifices she made when the first Moana blew up. In fact, she paid it forward. Cravalho revealed that “I bought my mommy a house. She’s happily retired.” She also added, “She was the one to discipline. She was the one to really support me right then and there… That was some tough parenting in allowing me to grow as a human, but also looking me in the eye and saying, ‘You need to be kind and you need to be kind to me.’”
Watch the official trailer for Moana 2 below:
