Disney’s live-action take on the beloved “Moana” is sailing toward theaters this summer, and its stars, Dwayne Johnson, who returns as Maui, and Catherine Laga’aia, who plays Moana, are sharing what the experience has meant to them.
Speaking at a fan event in Sydney, Australia, Johnson reflected on the personal meaning behind bringing Maui from animation into live action. “It was amazing. It was a real honor to bring Maui to life from animation to live-action,” he said. “Two reasons. One, (Maui) was inspired by my grandfather, the great High Chief Peter Maivia. I lost him when I was 10 years old. He was one of my heroes. And also, the honor of representing culture.”
Johnson has also been connecting with fans beyond Australia, making a stop in Shanghai, China, where he greeted “Moana” supporters and even gave the crowd a taste of his rapping skills.
For Laga’aia, the film marks her big-screen debut, and she said the journey of making it echoed Moana’s own story of self-discovery. “I feel like I’ve learned as much about myself as Moana did herself on her journey. I feel like I really went through kind of a similar process, almost in like an alternate world, kind of stepping so far away from home into something that I’d never experienced before. So I think I grew a lot in that process, and I’m really proud of the person who’s kind of come out of it,” she shared at the Sydney event.
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Director Thomas Kail also praised Laga’aia’s casting while in Sydney, pointing to the natural quality she brings to the role. “She has that thing, you know, that thing that I say, you can only coach it, you can’t teach it,” he said.
Ahead of the new film’s arrival, fans can revisit the animated “Moana” and “Moana 2,” both of which are currently streaming on Disney+.
The live-action “Moana” opens in theaters on July 10.
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