On a chilly November evening, wearing a light leather jacket and a scarf, Auli’i Cravalho was freezing as she plunged through a pair of gleaming doors into a candlelit bar in Midtown Manhattan.
“I do not know how people layer here — I’m in total awe,” said Cravalho, who had just come from a photo shoot at a park on the Lower East Side. Like the plucky young heroine she voices in Disney’s “Moana” films — the sequel, “Moana 2,” hits theaters on Wednesday — Cravalho grew up in a tropical climate, in Kohala, Hawaii.
But recently she had been living in an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, with her partner and her best friend, while starring in the Broadway revival of “Cabaret.” Cravalho plays the singer Sally Bowles in the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical about a Berlin nightclub during the rise of fascism.
That night would be her first back in the show after sitting out a few performances after she “had come this close to vocal hemorrhaging.”
“I have a newfound respect for the leads of these musicals, because my gosh, it is tough,” said Cravalho, 24, whose name is pronounced owl-LEE-ee cruh-VAL-yo. It had been a whirlwind few weeks, but she was gregarious as she sipped tea poured from a miniature teapot.
In addition to performing an emotionally demanding role seven times a week, there were promotional appearances for “Moana 2,” the follow-up to the 2016 Polynesian animated adventure — a global phenomenon that was the most-streamed movie on any U.S. platform last year, according to Nielsen.
This month, Moana’s back to lead a new adventure. And like Cravalho, who was 16 in her screen debut, she has grown up, accompanied by new friends, and a younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda); new composers in the TikTok duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear; and facing a new villain, the mysterious Matangi.
She has also been playing grittier roles, including the moody skater AJ Campos in the Hulu rom-com “Crush,” the angsty Janis in the “Mean Girls” reboot, and now the self-destructive Sally Bowles in “Cabaret.”
“I’ve definitely gone beyond the reef,” Cravalho said, referencing a line spoken by her character’s father in the original film. “The island that I thought was so big I now recognize is actually pretty small.”
In an hourlong conversation — peppered with a few less than Disney-friendly words (hers, not mine) — Cravalho talked about her breakout role, her Broadway debut and why she’ll be playing a high school sophomore “until I’m in my early 30s.” These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
You were 14 when you were cast as Moana. What do you remember about the day you got to share the news?
My name was no longer Auli’i — everyone called me Moana up and down the hall, including some of my teachers!
You’ve said in the past that you want to take on roles that challenge you as an actor. Were you worried that you’d be pigeonholed as a Disney princess?
I’m not worried about being pigeonholed with Moana, because she and I truly are like this [crosses fingers]. We’re so alike in so many ways. But in other roles that I audition for, I do want to make sure that they are different, and that they’re challenging and that the women that I play aren’t just good people. I want them to make mistakes; I want them to have their vices; I want them to make bad decisions and hurt other people, because that’s what’s real.
Are you recognized in real life?
It happens a lot with parents, who will be like, “Oh my gosh, take a picture, take a picture!” to their young child, and their child is like, “Who is this stranger?” And then sometimes when people hear my voice, they turn and they either say, “Oh, you have such a pretty voice” or they’re like, “Do I know you?” It’s the funniest thing when their brain kind of knows, but their eyes can’t put a face to the voice. I think the short hair also does that — once I wear my long hair, I get recognized instantly.
It’s been eight years since the first film came out, and Moana is three years older in the sequel. How have you grown up along with the character?
I absolutely owe the start of my career to Moana, and I have done roles now that have stretched me as an actor and made me grow as a person. But I also find myself deeply connected still to Moana in that I miss my family all the time when I’m gone.
We meet a new cast of family and friends in the film, including Moana’s younger sister, Simea. Do you have siblings?
I’m an only child, so I was admittedly pretty lonely. I read a lot of books and I loved pretending that I was either a character in the book, or that I was — you know how sometimes young boys will imagine themselves rescuing the maiden in distress? I was the white knight. I was always trying to envision myself in a hero’s role, so to speak.
As an only child, how did you approach the sister relationship in “Moana 2”?
Simea’s voice is so sweet, and it pulls at your heartstrings. I loved the idea of having a sister so much that it wasn’t hard to put myself in that position.
You recently made your Broadway debut as Sally Bowles, the self-destructive nightclub singer of the musical “Cabaret.” Were you looking for an edgier role?
I’ve played a lot of high school roles, understandably so — I’m only 24. I plan to be playing high schoolers until I’m in my early 30s, at least; I know how this industry works. But it sometimes gets a little repetitive, so I was looking for something new. And boy, oh boy, did I manifest the [expletive] out of this one.
What’s the most challenging part of performing on Broadway eight times per week?
Maintaining that consistency of emotion and going on that roller coaster every night. I feel like I learn more and more about Sally, and I ask more questions about her as the shows progress. I started off with her being pretty open, and now I play her a little more jaded, which I like, because I think that fits with her personality.
What do you want to do next?
I’m looking forward to directing, to producing, to starting a production company. And I truly believe that all those things will happen in their own time. But I have so much growth to do before then. I grew up without a television.
Was that just your family?
My mom put me in a lot of extracurricular activities, so when I was really young, I was in horseback riding, I was in baton twirling classes, I was in swim lessons, I did karate. I also grew up on a farm, so we had a bunch of fruit trees, and my grandpa raised pigs and chickens, and we made sausages. I spent a lot of my childhood outside, quite frankly, which I’m really grateful for.
What would be your dream role?
Evita. I’d also love to work with Lily Gladstone — I’m blown away by the depth of her performances. I also love that she’s Indigenous. I’d love to get into action; I’d love to play a villain. I would love to be in a Marvel film.
When you’re not balancing Broadway with doing press for “Moana 2,” what do you do for fun?
I just got my library card, so I’ve been spending a lot of time at the library. I play video games; I’m playing Fallout: New Vegas right now. I played both Fallout and The Last of Us before their TV counterparts came out.
What’s a skill you haven’t had the chance to use onstage or onscreen yet but would love to?
I’ve been taking stunt classes in Los Angeles for the last few years, so I think that’s why I’m looking to get into action. While I’ve played strong-minded women, I’m looking to play physically strong women as well.
The post Auli’i Cravalho Is More Than a Disney Princess appeared first on New York Times.
