Auli’i Cravalho, known for voicing the title character in Disney’s Moana, shared in a recent interview with People how the role changed her life and lifted her family out of poverty. Before Moana‘s success, Cravalho, who was 16 at the time, lived with her mother in a one-bedroom apartment in Mililani, Hawaii, relying on food stamps to make ends meet. After the film’s global success, which grossed $643 million, Cravalho’s career flourished, and she was able to buy her mother a house.
Her mother is now “happily retired.” Cravalho, now 24, also mentioned how she became the “breadwinner” for her family, including her father and her mother, who had divorced when she was young. She also delayed attending college due to financial concerns, feeling unable to take a break from acting.