When a Sydney schoolgirl was chosen to headline the most anticipated Disney movie in years, her life changed overnight. We talk to Catherine Laga’aia about stepping into Moana’s shoes in the live-action film – and why playing the bold princess has shifted her own perspective on life.
When it comes to Aussie teenager Catherine Laga’aia’s break into the movies, Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it more perfectly. First, a worldwide open audition call went out for Disney’s new live-action Moana movie. Along with two of her siblings, she applied. Catherine got a call back. And then another. And then, at 17, she was flown to New York for the chance of a lifetime.
Catherine’s dad Jay Laga’aia – the actor and Play School presenter – was with her for support, not only to witness the successful outcome, but to offer insider advice on how to navigate the industry.
Now 19, Catherine is celebrating her Hollywood debut in a film that has the whole world watching. And she’s talking to The Weekly from the bedroom of the Sydney home she grew up in alongside her seven siblings and parents, Jay and Sandra Jane.
“I just remember thinking, ‘This is the most stressed I’ve ever been. This is like panic central,” she tells us now of waiting to head into her fateful final audition. “So, I spent a lot of that time just sitting with my dad and him talking me through it: ‘This is probably what it’s gonna look like, this is what it’s gonna feel like. Recognise these emotions and utilise them. Don’t freak yourself out.’ Because I was infamously known in my family for being a crybaby. So I was going into that audition just hoping, ‘Please don’t cry!’”
Over the course of our chat, we discuss her rocket ship to fame, growing up in the talented Laga’aia family and what’s next for the latest Disney princess.
What did life look like before Moana?
I grew up in a very loud, very vibrant household. I have performed for most of my life, more in the theatrical side of things. That’s the same tale about a lot of my siblings – a lot of them do musical theatre. But I feel like I lived a very normal, very run-of-the-mill life, especially in childhood. And then it all just got flipped on its head one random day in February of 2024!
Where do you fall in the sibling line-up?
I’m the second youngest of the eight. I stack at the very bottom of the pile. But my youngest sister, my mum says she’s just an old soul. And she very much is; my sister is wise beyond her years. So I think I’m spiritually the youngest.
What did it feel like growing up with your dad being on Play School?
I remember walking through Kmart or Target, and you’d hear little kids being like, “Oh my gosh, that’s Jay Laga’aia.” And when you’re little, you’re like, “Yeah, it is. It’s my dad. Check it.” I used to always tap him on the shoulder and be like, “That little girl just recognised you.” And he’s like, “Don’t bring it up. Don’t mention it.”
And now little kids will be talking, calling out – my friends will hear – “I think that’s Catherine Laga’aia. I think that’s Moana.” My friends will be like, “Catie, they’re talking about you.” And I’m like, “No, shush!” So I feel like I’m almost living partially different aspects of his experience. And I’m like, “Oh, he was right about a lot more things than I gave him credit for.”
What was he right about?
He knows so much about little things. Like, where to look in the camera, questions to ask when you’re on set, who to talk to, how to get the things you need. Up to how to be a good person and what people will expect from you on set.
Did having two of your siblings, Georgia and Bella, also audition for Moana make it weird at home or was it a bonding experience?
We’ve auditioned for so many jobs together. The three of us have the same agent, and all look the same. Casting directors have to be very specific with what they want when they’re casting for the three of us, because we usually get all swept out at the same point.
But there was a series my siblings did when we were younger, which we all auditioned for. And it was for the role of my dad’s kids.
Well, you couldn’t have been more perfectly cast.
We were perfect ages. And I remember we hadn’t heard back about it for a while. Then I went to talk to my mum about it, and I was like, “Guess we didn’t get the job.” And she goes, “Actually, you didn’t get the job. Your two sisters got it and a random girl in the middle. They said you didn’t look enough like your sisters.” So I feel [Moana] was, like, my revenge plot. [Laughs].
How did it feel on set the first day?
There were moments in the process where I was like, “Oh, this is kind of real.” The first time seeing the boat. The first time in costume, the first time seeing the dancers and villagers.
It was a very odd experience trying to wrap my brain around what I’m supposed to be doing. I had a very chill first day. Me and my brother were placing bets on whether or not I’d actually make it on screen. We were just sitting in my trailer messing around for a while until I shot my first scene. So it was a very chill first day, but it definitely ramped up to some crazy days.
How did you find working with Dwayne Johnson?
He’s very cool. You wouldn’t think, because he has such a vibrant personality – and I think I got this preconceived version of him from his banter and riffs with Kevin Hart – but he actually has a very calm aura. He’s just a very chill guy.
Is it true you finished your HSC whilst you were filming?
I did, yes. I’d go to hair and make-up, and they’d put my bald cap on, and then I’d go take a business studies exam. And then I’d go back and get my hair and make-up done. It was a very hectic couple of months.
How did you keep your focus on both things?
I don’t know if focus was kept! I didn’t check my ATAR. I don’t know what it is; I don’t want to know. I was so concerned about the movie that I’m sure my ATAR was compromised. But, you know, I gave both things the best shot I could.
Had you seen the original Moana?
When it first came out, that was my movie of the year. It was released at the same time as The Greatest Showman, and I remember being adamant that I didn’t want to see Moana; I wanted to see The Greatest Showman. I was nine. My sister’s like, “You need to go.” She dragged us to Moana, and then we went back maybe like four or five times to watch it again and again.
Moana is such a beautiful celebration of Polynesian culture. What does that mean to you personally?
It’s really exciting to get to celebrate my culture and such an important part of my life so early in my career. I know a lot of people had to pave the way for Pacific Islanders to make it onto screen – and especially for Pacific Islander cultures to be represented. For a lot of that generation, they didn’t get to play their own ethnicities, or, if it was, it was kind of as a gimmick.
So having a Disney princess who is from your culture is definitely a box that a lot want to tick.
When Moana came out, she was such an adored character. People thought she was stunning, her village was stunning, all of her people and her culture were so rich and vibrant and beautiful. Having people recognise that is so important and a great feeling.
When other people look at it and tell you how beautiful it is and tell you, “Oh, it’s such a special film,” and “It’s about where you’re from,” I think that definitely changes your brain chemistry. As a nine-year-old, hearing all of these lovely words attributed to the place that you’re from, it just sets you up to feel and have a great relationship with culture.
Plus Moana is so incredibly fearless and strong, ballsy and bold …
There’s so much in her. It’s like she has the grit and determination of a true teenage girl. She feels like a representation of a teenage girl who’s stuck with an uncle or a dad who doesn’t want to listen to her, and she’s like, “But I know in my soul I’m right.” Nobody else could have made those decisions and been like, “This is what I need to do, and I know I need to do it.” That true gut feeling is so vital to growing up as a girl.
She has so much depth. And being ballsy and bold, I feel like those were things that, as I was performing her, I could adopt into myself. It makes you feel stronger as you’re performing it.
You’re joining us from your family home. How does it feel after Hollywood?
There’s such a cultural difference between America and Australia. A lot of people over there don’t know what tall poppy syndrome is. That’s such a part of Australian culture: the idea that you can’t grow too big or people will just want to cut you down.
Coming back here, you have all of these incredible experiences, things that you’ve done. You’re like, “I can tell no one.” I don’t want to be the one running around being, “Look at all the cool things I did.” I feel like it’s so ingrained in me to take a step back and not try to force it down people’s throats. But my friends were such an awesome support system. Every single time I was waffling on about Moana, they were like, “You’ve told me that story, but I’m so glad to hear it again.”
I have so much love for Australia, and this is my home and where I hope to stay. Coming back here was a refreshing kind of breath into myself where I was like, “Okay, I feel like who I am in the States and who I am here are two very different people.” I can be Moana in the States, but when I come back home, it’s just Catherine.
So, what are your future plans?
The ultimate goal is to create work I’m proud to be in. I recognise how much love and consideration went into Moana, and I feel so proud of what we’ve done and created and what’s going to come into the world. I want that to be the same feeling that I have with every project I do.
Moana is in cinemas now.
This article also appears in the August 2026 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Subscribe so you never miss an issue.
