It’s been nine years since Kohala-born phenom Auli‘i Cravalho burst onto the scene and became the forever voice of Disney’s 2016 hit, “Moana.” Now, she’s segued to the live-action big screen, having been cast in Tina Fey’s reimagined “Mean Girls” as the outcast Janis ‘Imi’ike (originally played as Janis Ian in 2004 by Lizzy Caplan).
Now a Los Angeles resident, the 23-year-old Cravalho spoke with Spectrum News Hawaii as she receives rave reviews for her charismatic performance in the film's first week in theaters.
What’s it been like from age 14 until now, being catapulted into this industry?
I ended up taking online classes in my junior and senior year going through BYU. My mom was never a mom-ager; she was my mom. She’d be like, fix your bed; you wash those dishes; you finish your schooling. It was a whirlwind, and I was a baby. Luckily, like I mentioned, I had my mom, and she did a really great job of protecting me well during that time.
I still keep my circle really small, honestly, like my best friend — whom I went to Kamehameha with — I flew her up to New York, so that we could experience the “Mean Girls” premiere together. It feels really good having your Day Ones at your side. I’ve experienced a whirlwind after whirlwind. I feel like I’m in a whirlwind right now, having a live action film, going to theaters. It feels really different from “Moana” going to theaters. I still had anonymity; it was my first film, and also it was animation and voice acting so I could still go to Walmart and no one would really recognize me. Now that I’ve also dyed my hair pink, I’m not necessarily flying under the radar.
The part of Janis in the original "Mean Girls" is so iconic and well-known. How did you approach it? Were you given guidance? Freedom?
Tina Fey (who wrote the screenplay) as well as our directors Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne, were all really supportive in basically saying: just play. I wanted to make Janice someone who’s really proud of who she is. She has somehow managed to figure out that high school is not the be-all end-all. All that, and the hierarchy of high school, is honestly quite stupid. She has such a deep and painful backstory with Regina George that when I, or when Janis, sings that song “I’d Rather Be Me,” I look straight down the barrel of the camera, and am saying, “who would we all rather be if we care what we thought about each other,” right? So I tried to take that to heart and it was really fun just to just turn up the dial to 10 and play a character who is ready to light things on fire.
How did Janis Ian become Janis ‘Imi‘ike?
Tina actually brought it up where she was like, “Hey, Janice Ian, she’s yours now. How do you feel about having her last name be of Hawaiian descent?” I was like, “that’s amazing!” I brought to her a whole list of names. And we chose ‘Imi‘ike, which means “to strive for knowledge, to want more, to ask more.” And that just made sense because she wants more out of this. She realizes high school isn’t the end-all be-all.
Any fun stories from filming to share?
We did lean on each other, like the cast, and it ended up feeling kind of like a theater camp. Because we would, day-in and day-out, be coming into the school — we took over an old Catholic school — and we all lived really near to each other, near to the set. So when we weren’t working, we would hang out with each other … Bebe [Wood] and Avantika [Vandanapu] and I, we played Catan and card games and Scrabble at each other’s house or hotel room. I remember we were trying to find fun and cool things to do in Red Bank, New Jersey.
How do you represent your Hawaiian culture in your work?
It’s a blessing to come from Hawaii. It was foundational to grow up in Hawaii and to be of Native Hawaiian descent, to be able to trace my lineage, to go to Kamehameha, to be taught ‘olelo Hawaii. Now I get to represent myself as a Native Hawaiian, but also a young woman, and a young person of color, someone who is a part of the queer community. When I take on these films, like “Mean Girls,” like more, like anything else, I realized that people at home, hopefully, maybe, are watching and maybe add themselves in the roles that I play.
How do you deal with your local food cravings?
My specialty is going to Marukai! Marukai has Aloha Shoyu as well as Kikkoman Shoyu! I have Keoki’s laulau in my freezer. I just got poi. I eat sardines with onion and tomato, and I have Vienna sausage and Spam in my cupboard. I’m pretty covered.
Do you get care packages of food from home?
My dad will often — because he knows what I miss — he’ll bring me arare and li hing mui … the specific brands that I like. My dad’s side of the family, the Cravalhos, the Portuguese side, they make gandule rice and pastele, and so they send those up in like a big ice box that’s wrapped in duct tape once in a while.
See Cravalho in Tina Fey’s re-imangined "Mean Girls" in theaters now. She continues to work on writing and is an executive producer for the live action version of "Moana," out 2025.
Nuy Cho is the executive producer of Spectrum News Hawaii. Read more of her stories here.