Just 24 hours after performing the Oscar-nominated song “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” on Sunday’s ceremony, Auli’i Cravalho landed a lead role in “Drama High,” one of the hottest new shows on television. This 16-year-old handled herself with aplomb, despite singing in front of the biggest names in Hollywood not to mention a mere one billion television viewers.
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Appropriately enough for a girl who gave voice to a Disney Princess, hers has been a fairy tale. She landed the role of Moana after attending an open casting call several years ago. She then worked with animators to give life to the character and collaborated with “Hamilton” composer Lin-Manuel Miranda on the tunes for the flick.
“Moana” follows the adventures of a Polynesian teenage girl who has always been drawn to the ocean, despite her dad decreeing that no one on their island is to go beyond the protective reef. However, when danger threatens, she ventures forth in search of Maui, a mischievous demigod (Dwayne Johnson), to seek his help.
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Katim, the creative force behind two of NBC’s top dramas of the last decade, “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” is hard at work on his new hour-long. “Drama High” is based on the life of Lou Volpe, a small-town high school drama teacher making a difference in the lives of his students. Cravalho has been cast as one of those pupils. Lilette. No word on whether the theater class will put on any musicals but given the power of Cravalho’s pipes we can only hope.
