Catherine Laga’aia Films 1st 'Moana' in Atlanta Tank as 19-Year-Old Star Describes Stress

Q: Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia endured a 'nightmare' shoot. Will her performance be enough to win over skeptical audiences this weekend?

Probably not on her own. Catherine Laga’aia appears to be one of the film’s strongest assets, but the evidence so far suggests her performance alone may not be enough to overcome broader skepticism around Disney’s live-action *Moana* this weekend. Laga’aia has spoken candidly about the pressure of the shoot, especially filming in water tanks against blue screens and worrying about “wasting people’s time” in her first major role. That does not point to a troubled production so much as a demanding one. It also suggests she was carrying a heavy technical and emotional load, which can translate into a more committed screen performance. There are encouraging signs. She has strong cultural credibility as a young actress of Samoan heritage, Auli’i Cravalho has supported her as a coach and executive producer, and Dwayne Johnson has publicly praised her work. Her singing is also a selling point, with Lin-Manuel Miranda highlighting her vocal blend with Cravalho on the new song “Along the Way.” But the film enters release with real headwinds. Early social-media reactions have been mixed to hostile, trailer response has been divisive, and opening-weekend forecasts have fallen sharply. Much of that skepticism is aimed at the remake itself rather than at Laga’aia personally. So the likeliest outcome is that Laga’aia wins praise even if the film struggles to fully win over doubters. If audiences respond warmly to anything this weekend, she may be the element they single out.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 4

Atlanta — not Hawaii — became the backdrop for Disney’s live-action “Moana,” where Catherine Laga’aia said she spent early shooting days on a boat in a water tank facing blue screens.
Two weeks into production, the 19-year-old actress said the setup left her stressed on her first movie job, worrying each day that she was wasting the crew’s time.
Laga’aia sometimes filmed alone and sometimes with Dwayne Johnson, who plays Maui in the remake.
The Sydney-raised Australian actress, from a Samoan acting family, has since finished the teen horror film “Crashout” and said she is now weighing what comes next.