Catherine Laga’aia is chosen to play Moana after competing against about 32,000 other girls for the role, according to multiple reports. The coverage highlights that the audition process is highly competitive and that the final selection comes from a pool of candidates. Her breakthrough is described as coming from outside the traditional Hollywood spotlight, with accounts noting she is from Sydney’s suburbs before being selected.
All three outlets also reference comments attributed to Dwayne Johnson about how the teen’s life will change after the casting. They describe Johnson as being “apprehensive” when she is brought into the project, suggesting concern about the impact that the role—and the attention surrounding it—may have on a teenager. While the sources focus on the scale of the selection process and the personal reaction from Johnson, they do not provide further casting details beyond the core point that Laga’aia wins the role after an unusually large contest. The reports present the story as a mix of casting competition, local-to-international opportunity, and early remarks about the consequences of being cast.
