"It was amazing. It was a real honor to bring Maui to life from animation to live-action," Johnson explained at a fan event in Sydney, Australia. "Two reasons. One, (Maui) was inspired by my grandfather, the great High Chief Peter Maivia. I lost him when I was 10 years old. He was one of my heroes. And also, the honor of representing culture."
Johnson also made a splash visiting Shanghai, China where he met with "Moana" fans and even showed off his rapping skills.
Laga'aia, who makes her big screen debut in the film, says her acting journey mirrored her character, Moana. "I feel like I've learned as much about myself as Moana did herself on her journey. I feel like I really went through kind of a similar process, almost in like an alternate world, kind of stepping so far away from home into something that I'd never experienced before. So I think I grew a lot in that process, and I'm really proud of the person who's kind of come out of it," she shared at the Sydney event.
Director Thomas Kail also weighed on Laga'aia being the perfect fit for the role while in Sydney, "She has that thing, you know, that thing that I say, you can only coach it, you can't teach it."
Fans can prepare for the upcoming film by watching the animated "Moana" and "Moana 2" streaming now on Disney+.
Watch the live-action "Moana" in theaters on July 10.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disney+ and this ABC station.