Auli'i Cravalho Explains Why She's Not Playing Moana Again in Live-Action Remake

Auli’i Cravalho found breakout success as the voice of Moana in Disney’s hit movie back in 2016. However, she has opted out of playing the titular character again in a forthcoming live-action remake.

The 23-year-old Mean Girls star broke down her decision in a recent interview, explaining why she was happily passing the role along to another young actress.

Read more about Auli’i Cravalho’s decision…

“It feels really important to me to pass the baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent, and I say that with my whole chest,” Auli’i said during an interview with The Wrap.

She continued, saying, “I have been invited, and I exist in these beautiful AAPI spaces. Asian American Pacific Islander. And I’m one of the few Pacific Islanders. I’ll say it again: I’m one of the few Pacific Islanders. And our stories are so important to be told.”

Auli’i stressed the importance of representation in the industry.

“The Pacific Islands, Hawaii being one of them… It’s used. We are used, and I want to tell our own stories. I want to be behind the camera as much as I am in front of it. When I talk about representation, I want to see the same thing happening in writers rooms. I want to see the same thing happening with directors. Taika Waititi talks about this as well,” she said. “I want to see showrunners who are also of Indigenous descent telling their own stories.”

“And if it has to start with me, I’m 23. But if it starts with me, so be it. And I want that door to swing wide open, and I cannot wait to meet the next Moana,” Auli’i added.

While she will not reprise her role in the movie, Auli’i is set to act as a producer alongside former costar Dwyane Johnson.

The cast of the movie has not yet been announced, but a director did join the project.