According to Hawaii News Now, Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga'aia recently spoke about what Polynesian representation means to them personally in the context of Disney's live-action Moana — a reminder that this production carries real cultural weight beyond the usual blockbuster buzz.
Why the Supporting Cast Is the Real Conversation Now
With Johnson confirmed as Maui and Laga'aia locked in as Moana, the two biggest roles are settled. But Moana has never been a two-person story. Chief Tui, Sina, Gramma Tala, and even scene-stealers like Tamatoa and Hei Hei are essential to what makes the original film so beloved. The pressure to cast Polynesian and Pacific Islander actors in these roles — not just the leads — is exactly the kind of conversation the myCast community lives for. Who rounds out this ensemble is still very much an open question, and fans have opinions.
What myCast Fans Are Already Saying
The myCast community has been thinking about this one for a while across multiple fan-cast stories, and the picks are genuinely fascinating.
Over on the Moana story with 15 total votes, fans have been building out a surprisingly detailed ensemble. Maia Kealoha leads that story's voting with 4 votes for Toddler Moana — a smart, specific pick given her breakout in The Fabelmans. Cooper Andrews has picked up 3 votes for Maui in that same story, which is an interesting contrast to the confirmed Johnson casting and suggests some fans had a different vision for the demigod's energy. Antonio Te Maioha earns 2 votes for Chief Tui — a compelling choice given his Pacific Islander heritage and screen presence — while Alan Tudyk (2 votes for Hei Hei the Rooster) feels like a bit of a community in-joke, since Tudyk voiced the character in the original animated film. Bringing him back would be a satisfying nod to the source material.
Meanwhile, Nicole Scherzinger has picked up votes for Sina across two separate myCast stories — and — which makes her one of the more organically recurring fan picks in the entire dataset. That kind of cross-story consistency is worth paying attention to. Scherzinger is Hawaiian-born and has the vocal chops to make Sina genuinely memorable rather than a background presence. For Gramma Tala, fans have floated both and , reflecting the community's desire for authentic, culturally grounded casting in that pivotal role. And , who voiced the glittery villain Tamatoa in the original, earns a fan vote to return — which honestly, why wouldn't you bring him back?