Mean Girls viewers are just realising that Auli'i Cravalho played Moana

19 January 2024, 14:49

Christopher Briney originally passed on Mean Girls role

By Katie Louise Smith

"All throughout Mean Girls i was like damn janis has a stellar voice and then i realized SHE IS THE VOICE OF MOANA."

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If Auli'i Cravalho, the actress who plays Janis in the new Mean Girls movie, looks and sounds familiar to you but you can't quite pinpoint why... Here's your answer.

Mean Girls, whether you love or hate the fact that it's a musical, is full of standout performances. Reneé Rapp as Regina? Life-changing. Jaquel Spivey as Damian? Show-stopping! Avantika as Karen? Incredible!

Auli'i Cravalho's performance as Janis also belongs in that list. From the impeccable vocals to the brilliant fresh take on the character originally played by Lizzy Caplan, fans have fallen in love with Auli'i and her take on Janis.

However, those who are discovering Auli'i previous work after watching the film are only just realising that the star previously played a major Disney role. No, your ears are not deceiving you... Auli'i is the voice of Moana.

Mean Girls' Auli'i Cravalho is the original voice of Moana. Picture: Paramount Pictures, Disney

Auli'i, now 23, was just 14 years old when she landed the role of Moana in the Disney animated film. She was actually the last person to audition out of hundreds of actresses. And thank God, because we're not sure anyone could have delivered a better performance of 'How Far I'll Go'.

The root of the shock of people realising Auli'i played Moana seems to have stemmed from a viral clip of Reneé answering a question about Auli'i's hidden talent in a Vanity Fair interview. When asked, Reneé says Auli'i's hidden talent is "Moana".

Shocked over not realising Auli'i's previous role, one fan wrote: "all throughout mean girls: the musical: the movie i was like damn janis has a stellar voice and then i realized SHE IS THE VOICE OF MOANA."

Another added: "We aren’t talking enough about how MOANA is playing JANIS… icon"

Others couldn't believe that not everyone knew about Auli'i's iconic past role: "The fact that people dont know that auli’i was literally the voice of moana, is mind boggling."

Auli'i, now 23, performed 'How Far I'll Go' at the 2017 Oscars ceremony. Picture: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Back in 2023, Auli'i was applauded after sharing that she would not be reprising the role of Moana in the live-action version of the film. Instead, she will executive produce the film alongside Dwayne Johnson.

In a statement shared on Instagram, she expressed how important it was to her to let another young actress of Pacific Island descent make the role their own.

"When I was cast as Moana at 14, it wonderfully changed my life and started my career," she said. "In this live-action retelling, I will not be reprising the role. I believe it is absolutely vital the casting accurately represents the characters and stories we want to tell."

"I cannot wait to help find the next actress to portray Moana’s courageous spirit, undeniable wit and emotional strength."

With a sensational performance as Janis under her belt, we can't wait to see what Auli'i blesses us with next!