{"id":33483,"date":"2026-06-14T01:25:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T01:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/14\/dwayne-johnson-and-catherine-lagaaia-on-growing-up-with-moana-and-representing-polynesian-culture-on-screen\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T01:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T01:25:38","slug":"dwayne-johnson-and-catherine-lagaaia-on-growing-up-with-moana-and-representing-polynesian-culture-on-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/14\/dwayne-johnson-and-catherine-lagaaia-on-growing-up-with-moana-and-representing-polynesian-culture-on-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga\u2019aia on Growing Up with Moana and Representing Polynesian Culture On Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"yt-consent-swap\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/3Myu-TQd4B8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Actress <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/celebrity\/catherine_lagaaia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catherine Laga\u2019aia<\/a><\/strong> may be new to Hollywood, but the 19-year-old star of the upcoming live-action <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/moana_2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moana<\/a><\/strong><\/em> knows just how much her being on-screen matters \u2014 because she\u2019s experienced the impact of representation firsthand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/moana_2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Moana<\/em><\/a> the film was such an iconic and such an incredible thing to come out in 2016,\u201d Laga\u2019aia said during Fandango\u2019s Big Ticket interview. \u201cTo get to grow up with that is such a joy, and it\u2019s something that a lot of people didn\u2019t get to experience when they were growing up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To have a representation of myself that was so close to who I was, especially when I was growing up, it opens new doors for you, and it got me here today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Released in 2016, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/moana_2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">animated musical film<\/a> broke barriers and was a champion for representation, as it followed Moana (voiced by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Auli%CA%BBi_Cravalho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Auli\u02bbi Cravalho<\/a>), the daughter of a village chief who sets out on an adventure to restore a mystical relic to the goddess Te Fiti.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket1.jpg?w=700\" alt=\"Catherine Laga'aia in Moana (2026)\" class=\"wp-image-291673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket1.jpg?resize=300,163 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"media-credit\">(Photo by Disney)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with any Disney heroine over the past 15 years, Moana was headstrong, fierce and determined \u2014 not to mention incredibly proud of her heritage. Drawing from Polynesian mythology, <em>Moana<\/em> officially gave viewers Disney\u2019s first Polynesian princess as well as a unique \u2014 and rare \u2014 depiction of her culture on the silver screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A decade later, the live-action remake, directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/celebrity\/thomas_kail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Kail<\/a> (<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/hamilton_2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hamilton<\/a><\/em>) and heading to theaters on July 10, sets out to continue that journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/celebrity\/dwayne_johnson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dwayne Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, who voiced demigod Maui in the 2016 animated film and returns to reprise the role in live action, one of the things that made this experience so special was the care for the culture he saw throughout the shoot. Both Johnson and Laga\u2019aia pointed to the inclusion of cultural advisors on set as an example of this. \u201cEverybody involved with this project, they were so deeply invested in not only making a great movie, but also deeply invested in the presentation of a culture and how important that was,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stepping back into the role of Maui a decade later was surreal for the actor, not only because it was an opportunity to reinhabit and expand on a familiar and beloved character, but because the character itself holds special meaning for Johnson. \u201cThe character of Maui was inspired by my grandfather, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/dwayne-rock-johnson-moana-character-based-grandfather-161517509.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">High Chief Peter Maivia<\/a>,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cso it means so much to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket2.jpg?w=700\" alt=\"Dwayne Johnson in Moana (2026)\" class=\"wp-image-291675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket2.jpg?resize=300,163 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"media-credit\">(Photo by Disney)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, Johnson added, watching Laga\u2019aia inhabit Moana firsthand in what he called \u201cthe coolest front row seat\u201d was not only impressive, but also a reminder of just how impactful representation on screen still can be. Johnson recalled an experience after the film wrapped when young children on set were looking up to Laga\u2019aia, enamored and mesmerized by her. \u201cIt dawned on me,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cthey\u2019ve grown up with animated Moana, and for them, this is who it is\u2026 That\u2019s the reminder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Laga\u2019aia, her casting as Moana could almost be described as a full-circle moment; as she now takes the helm for a new generation of young Polynesian people who are able to once more see themselves and their culture accurately and lovingly depicted on screen \u2014 only this time in live action. And ultimately, that\u2019s Laga\u2019aia\u2019s hope, that viewers are able to see themselves in the character of Moana, and \u2014 like she herself once did \u2014 dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGetting to represent all of the Pacific Islands \u2014 but more specifically for me, getting to represent Samoa and where I come from \u2014 is such a blessing and it\u2019s such an honor.\u201d she said. \u201cI can really only hope that our movie gets to do that for the next generation of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/moana_2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moana<\/a><\/em> opens in theatres on July 10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fandango.com\/moana-2026-243429\/movie-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get your tickets here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"yt-consent-swap\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/Bx7cI3EH_qI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/article\/app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Actress Catherine Laga\u2019aia may be new to Hollywood, but the 19-year-old star of the upcoming live-action Moana knows just how<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Moana_Big_Ticket-Rep.jpg?w=600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-sports-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}