Auli’i’s On It: The Star on Her New Series, Representation, and Beyond

Mixed Asian Media - June 10, 2023

By Valerie Gregorio

Auli’i Cravalho is known for her work in Disney’s Moana, the NBC drama series Rise, the Netflix drama film All Together Now, and the Hulu romantic comedy Crush. The 22-year-old mixed-Asian American actress and singer will now be starring as Hailey on Disney’s new show Hailey’s On It! I had the pleasure of chatting with Auli’i about the show and why representation is important.

Tell me more about Hailey's On It!? Like, how would you describe it?

Yeah, so I play Hailey Banks. She is an average 14-year-old who's kind of fearful of doing new, scary things, but she's visited by a professor from the future who tells her that she's actually incredibly important and she's going to save the world by completing a long list of tasks and difficult list items that she's always wanted to do.

So throughout our series, Hailey has to really trust in herself and ask her friend Scott Denoga (played by Manny Jacinto) and her parents to support her in finishing all of these crazy, wacky, fun and cool list items.

In what ways are you related to the main character, Hailey?

That's a good question. Hailey and I both have a Pacific Islander background. We both grew up by the coastline. I think we are both kind of quirky and wacky. That is why I enjoy playing her so much. She has really close friendships and a really great relationship with her parents, and she's fearful, but I think she learns a lot of her inner strength and that just comes with doing the things that scare you.

How does Hailey inspire other people, especially young girls of color?

You know, Hailey is someone that I think everyone can relate to — having all these big ideas and big dreams that she wants to accomplish, but feeling as if they're out of reach. But the amazing thing about Hailey is that she needs to do these list items. So she has to face her fear as head-on. And I think that's a really beautiful message that, you know, no matter how far-fetched it may seem you can really do anything if you put your mind to it. And I love that our themes are of friendship and family and facing your fears.

We also have incredible music and this sci-fi aspect. And Hailey is so smart using computers and building birdhouses and she's got very niche interests, which I think just encourages all of us to embrace our inner nerd.

What do you hope the audience will take away from the show? And why is it important to continue diversity on screen, especially for younger audiences? 

Hmm. I really hope that people take away just how fun our series is. It reminds me of the older Disney shows that we love so much. Our theme song is very reminiscent of the box that we used to jam to.

I think there are a lot of great lessons, but there's also just so much heart to our series. We have an incredibly diverse cast. We have Manny Jacinto, who I mentioned, Cooper Andrews plays my dad, Julie Bowen plays my mom. It's such a wonderful cast and I really think our writers did a fantastic job of also implementing some different cultures in their foods and in the language. Like, they've asked me to also speak in some Hawaiian. It's really beautiful to see these characters come to life on screen.

And I think that that's so important because the first time I saw myself in an animated character was Lilo and Stitch, and that rocked my world. I thought she was so cool. And, you know, what we've realized — I think my generation specifically is really pushing headway in this — is that representation in casting and seeing yourself on screen helps change the world around us. And it just puts more storylines into the forefront, which I love.

How is voicing in a TV show different from voicing in a film?

That's an excellent question because there is a difference in this animated series. It moves so much quicker. Like, you have to play different emotions in the same kind of line because you are not trying to drive a story through an hour and a half or two hours. Instead, you're honestly going for some quick laughs, which has improved my comedic timing, I think.

It's also a lot of fun because you get to do weird stuff and it doesn't have to make sense in the long run. I also really enjoy it because I get to play different characters. I get to kind of put on different voices, which, you know, when I'm voicing Moana, I am only Moana, but for Hailey's On It!, I've played a couple characters now.

Besides Hailey's On It!, is there any other recent or upcoming work that you're looking forward to that you would like to share?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I wrapped very recently on Mean Girls: The Musical, the movie, which is another very high-energy, fun film that I'm looking forward to. I've begun working on Moana animated series. I am incredibly blessed and I'm so excited for Hailey's On It! to come out. I feel so lucky to have all of these projects under my belt.

Lastly, when is Hailey's On It! going to premiere?

Hailey's On It! premieres June 8, and then it will be available on Disney+ the very next day so that you can enjoy it for the rest of time.

Check out Hailey’s On It! now on on Disney+.

Valerie Gregorio is a multipotentialite Filipina American from California, Maryland. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland, Global Campus and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy with minors Political Science, Sociology, and Dance from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She also holds a certificate in U.S. Political Institutions from HarvardX. She currently works full-time in procurement at a federal agency. She holds the title Miss Maryland Petite 2023 under the Petite USA pageant system and previously competed at Miss Maryland USA 2022 and International Ethereal Miss. She is a content creator for the @quotesforyouproject and @womenvotersproject, a freelance writer for several online publications, a volunteer for many organizations, serves on the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Alumni Council as a member, serves as a secretary of the Southern Maryland’s Sierra Club, a model/ambassador for CB Modeling Associates and VisualsDMVmodels, and an ambassador for 18byvote. Valerie utilizes her voice to make a world a better place and wants to bring more representation to the table through her work. You can follow Valerie on Instagram @vcg18, Youtube @valeriegregorio, and Tik Tok @dancerv19.