Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho (; born November 22, 2000) is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut as the voice of the title character in the Disney animated musical film Moana (2016) and reprised her role in the 2024 sequel.
Cravalho has had leading roles in the drama series Rise (2018), the drama film All Together Now (2020), the supernatural comedy Darby and the Dead (2022), Crush (2022), the sci-fi series The Power (2023), and the 2024 film adaptation of Mean Girls: The Musical. She has also acted in several theatrical productions, including Evita (2023) in London and Cabaret (2024) on Broadway.
Early life and education Cravalho was born in Kohala, Hawaii, and is of Chinese, Native Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, and Irish descent. Her parents Dwayne and Puanani "ran a construction company and divorced when she was young". At the time she made her breakthrough, she was living in Mililani, Hawaii, with her mother and was in her first year of high school, singing soprano in the glee club at Kamehameha Schools' Kapālama campus. She grew up with her mother in a one-bedroom apartment, and they had to rely on the federal food stamps program for support. Following the success of Moana, she bought a house for her mother.
In June 2021, Cravalho announced that she had been accepted into Columbia University and subsequently revealed that she planned to major in environmental science. However, she repeatedly deferred her entrance to Columbia in order to focus on acting to the point where she would have to reapply for admission to study there.
Career
As a 14-year-old high school freshman, Cravalho was cast as the title character in the 2016 animated movie Moana. She has stated that she was initially not going to audition for the role because "there were already so many great submissions that [she] didn't think [she] needed to try out". However, a talent agent in Oʻahu discovered her through a charity video contest and brought her to Los Angeles to audition for the role. Casting director Rachel Sutton has stated that Cravalho was the last person to audition out of hundreds of actresses.
In February 2017, it was announced that she had been cast in the pilot for the NBC drama Rise, which was ordered to series on May 4, 2017. The series premiered on March 13, 2018, but NBC cancelled the series on May 15, 2018, due to low ratings. In May 2017, she sang the national anthem at the National Memorial Day Concert. In November 2017, Cravalho announced she was going to reprise her role as Moana in the first Hawaiian language–dubbed Disney film. The dubbed Moana premiered on June 10, 2018.
On November 5, 2019, Cravalho portrayed Ariel in ABC's The Little Mermaid Live!, a live-action concert rendition of The Little Mermaid. In 2020, she starred in All Together Now, directed by Brett Haley for Netflix. Cravalho has twice performed as guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, in 2018 and 2021.MyNews13.Com Cravalho To Narrate Candlelight accessed 08-20-23
In 2020, Cravalho participated in Acting for a Cause, a live classic play and screenplay reading series created, directed and produced by Brando Crawford. Cravalho played Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest, Laertes in Hamlet, Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice, and Jeannie Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The reading raised funds for non-profit charities including Mount Sinai Medical Center.
On November 18, 2021, it was announced that Cravalho would voice the title character, Hailey, in the animated comedy-adventure series Hailey's On It!, which premiered on June 8, 2023, on Disney Channel. She also has a role in the sci-fi drama series The Power, where she plays Jos Cleary-Lopez, a teenager who develops electric powers, and as Janis ʻImiʻike in Mean Girls, a 2024 film adaptation of the stage musical Mean Girls.
In 2023, it was announced that Cravalho would be an executive producer on the upcoming live-action adaptation of Moana but would not reprise the titular role. She stated in 2024 that "it feels really important to me to pass the baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent".
In July 2024, it was announced that Cravalho will take over the role of Sally Bowles in the Broadway production of Cabaret beginning September 16. She had a brief voice role as a talking anti-venom pen in the 2025 film Zootopia 2.
In April 2026, it was announced that Cravalho would guest-star in Sofia the First: Royal Magic, a sequel to Sofia the First, as Moana, reprising her voice role. It will be the first time Moana and Sofia have interacted in a Disney series, with Moana providing "wisdom and guidance" to Sofia.
Personal life In April 2020, Cravalho came out as bisexual. In January 2024, she revealed that she has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. Cravalho is a fan of the Buffalo Bills National Football League team and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the first regular season home opener at Highmark Stadium.
Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes 2016 Moana Moana (voice) 2018 Ralph Breaks the InternetMoana (voice) 2020 All Together Now Amber Appleton 2022 Crush AJ Campos Darby and the Dead Capri Donahue2023 Once Upon a StudioMoana (voice) Short film 2024 Mean Girls Janis ʻImiʻike Moana 2 Moana (voice) 2025 Reef BuildersHerselfDocumentary Zootopia 2 Anti-Venom Pen (voice) Cameo2026 Moana —Executive producer2027 Elle (voice) In production
Television + Year Title Role Notes 2018 Rise Lilette Suarez Main role 2019 Weird City Rayna Perez Episode: "Go to College" The Little Mermaid Live! Ariel Television special Elena of Avalor Veronica (voice) Episode: "The Last Laugh" 2022 Harmonious Live! Narrator Television special Maui Shark MysteryNarrator Main role 2023The Power Jos Cleary-LopezMain role Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest Moana (voice)Television special 2023–2024 Hailey's On It! Hailey Banks (voice) Main role Kelci Fyre (voice) Episode: "An Imposter Is Born" 2024–2025 ChibiverseHailey Banks, Scientist #5 (voice)2 episodes 2024 Hailey Banks' Disney Mini Movie Marathon Hailey Banks (voice) Television special Krapopolis Muses (voice) Episode: "Muse Your Illusion" The Tiny Chef Show Herself Episode: "Poi" 2025 Lulu Is a Rhinoceros Lulu (voice) Television special Lego Disney Princess: Villains Unite Moana (voice) Television special The Mighty Nein Toya (voice) 2 episodes 2026 My Adventures with Superman Jessica Cruz (voice)Episode: "Mobile Suit Toyman" Lego Disney Princess: Magical Mayhem Moana (voice) Television special Sofia the First: Royal Magic Guest role My Adventures with Green Lantern Jessica Cruz (voice) Main role
Video games + Year Title Role 2019 The Sims 4 Nalani Mahiʻai (voice) 2023Disney Dreamlight Valley Moana (voice) 2025Disney SpeedstormMoana (voice) TBAArk 2 Meeka (voice)
Web Year Title Role Notes2020Acting for a CauseJeannie Bueller, Lady Catherine, Laertes, Gwendolen 4 episodes 2023Theme Song Takeover Hailey Banks (voice) 3 episodesBroken KaraokeHailey Banks (voice) 1 episode2024Hailey's On It!: Road TripHailey Banks (voice) Short series
Stage + YearTitleRoleVenueNotes 2018 Have a Nice Day Teenage daughter Minetta Lane Theatre Off-Broadway live reading 2019 The Little Mermaid Ariel Walt Disney Studios Concert2023 Sunset Boulevard Betty Schaefer Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center Regional Evita Eva Perón LW Theatres, Drury Lane West End 2024 Children of Eden Yonah David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center Concert 2024–2025 Cabaret Sally Bowles August Wilson Theatre Broadway
Music videos + YearTitleRoleNotes 2018 Live Your Story Herself Music video for Walt Disney Records
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2016Indiana Film Journalists AssociationBest Vocal/Motion Capture PerformanceMoana Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Voice PerformanceMoana 2017Alliance of Women Film JournalistsBest Animated FemaleMoana Annie Awards Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature ProductionMoana BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature FilmMoana Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with the cast of Moana)Moana BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting AwardBest Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature FilmMoana Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with the cast of Moana)Moana Breakthrough Voice Actress of the YearMoana BTVA Voice Acting AwardBreakthrough Voice Actress of the YearMoana Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Frenemies Moana MTV Movie + TV AwardsBest Musical MomentMoana Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Breakout StarMoana Choice Movie: Fantasy ActressMoana Young Artist AwardsBest Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Teen ActressMoana World Soundtrack AwardsBest Original Song Written Directly for a Film (with Lin-Manuel Miranda)Moana 2018National Film and Television AwardBest Newcomer Moana 2025 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Voice Performance Moana 2 Kids' Choice AwardsFavorite Female Voice From An Animated MovieMoana 2 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Replacement (Female) Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
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