Auli'i Cravalho captures audiences’ hearts with her powerful voice once more in All Together Now. In the Netflix original film, the once Disney princess transforms in Amber Appleton, a high schooler who must hold onto her musical aspirations despite her personal setbacks.
Cravalho spoke with Screen Rant about the process of preparing for such a complex role, how director Brett Haley worked with her to find the truth of her character, and what she felt working alongside screen legends like Fred Armisen and Carol Burnett.
Your performance in this film is phenomenal. Can you tell me about Amber?
Auli'i Cravalho: Absolutely. I really connected to my character, Amber, from the get-go. I think she is so optimistic, in that she's a great friend and works so hard in school. She has such amazing passions and wants to pursue higher education and go for her dream college of Carnegie Mellon. All of these amazing things. She's such a multifaceted character and person, and it's perfectly juxtapose with such an interesting and unstable home life. The fact that she is experiencing childhood homelessness, and she's in a single-parent household with a mother that has some addiction issues.
I really appreciate it this film for its realness, and I think it's beautiful that we show that on screen.
One of the most heartbreaking yet real relationships was Amber's relationship with their mom. Can you talk to me about that relationship a little bit?
Auli'i Cravalho: I grew up in a single-parent household with just my mom and myself, so working with Justina was really, really special. She felt like a mom, you know? That motherly love and that mother-daughter relationship is so specific, and I can speak for myself on that. We know how to push each other's buttons and we know each other so so well. I think the overwhelming feeling is that it's the two of us against the world. It's Amber's mother and her, it's only the two of them left - and the little dog Tintin.
So much of the burden falls to Amber to be the perfect daughter, and to still be the outgoing student that she is and to keep everything in its place and to make sure that she doesn't seem messy to anyone. It's so difficult to be vulnerable, even with those closest to us. So, I really appreciated that relationship that we showed on screen, because I saw with my own mother and I.
You share a lot of scenes with Fred Armisen, who is one of SNL's greatest improv masters. What are some of your funniest moments on set and what did you get to learn from him?
Auli'i Cravalho: Yeah, Fred Armisen was a joy to work with. He is funny and kind and down to earth. I honestly can't even say if the lines that he said were written down, or if he just came up with them on the fly. I think it was an even mix of both. He's just so quick, so it's really great to see him work.
I think one of my favorite things that he said was when Rhenzy Feliz [was playing] the guitar. He's kind of still in a learning stage, and Fred Armisen is as well. He said, "You don't have to be amazing at everything you do. Just starting is really good enough." And that, I think, will always stick with me. Because I'm the type of person where, if I'm not good at it within a reasonable amount of time - say, an hour - I'm not gonna keep doing it. It was a good check in. I'm like, "Oh, yeah. Practice doesn't have to make perfect. Practice can just be enjoying the practice."
You've obviously played a larger than life character in Moana, but this is a project that's much more grounded. What are some of the challenges that comes along with that?
Auli'i Cravalho: I'm grateful that I got my start with Moana. I was 14 when I was cast the film and 16 when the film came out. It was voice acting and singing, and it really changed my life and my career. I then got to work on NBC's Rise, where I played Lilette, who is another strong-minded and beautiful young woman. And now I get to play Amber, who is so talented and holds so much joy in her heart while still overcoming so many challenges. So, I really appreciated what these characters brought me.
This role was vastly different than any role I've played before. It's my first film, so my face is in every scene - which was nerve-racking, for sure. I really enjoyed the challenge. I really appreciated our director Brett Haley, and really all of the cast and crew, for creating an environment where I was able to be vulnerable.
Working with Brett was really special, because he's such a collaborative director. He allowed me to ask questions, and then when I knew who Amber was, and Amber and I kind of became one, he would ask me if lines felt right. And if they didn't, he says the darndest things. He says, "Don't go to the line until you're ready. If the line doesn't make sense, don't say it. If you have something that feels better, then do that instead." And I remember looking at him, being like, "Who are you? Kind of blessing angel or director can you be?"
And it was really true, because he wanted to make a film that felt real. After a while, Amber and I really got to know each other quite well. So he figured, "Who better to ask than you?" And I really, really appreciated that.
You get the opportunity to use your powerful voice in this film. Can you talk about the process of putting music together with Brett and his composer?
Auli'i Cravalho: Of course. The composer, Keegan DeWitt, and Brett Haley and I, we all work together on the song "Feels Like Home." I remember that we met up for the first time to punch on the keys and figure out what it was going to sound like, and Keegan sat down at the piano and was like, "What key do you want this to be in?" And I was like, "Wait, I get to choose that? I'm sorry, I don't know anything about keys, Can we start from the beginning?"
It was very important that the lyrics felt real, because it really connects Amber to her father. And the song also connects her to her future, in wanting to pursue higher education and go to her dream college of Carnegie Mellon. So, it's a really important song that comes also at a really heartfelt time. Amber sings it in front of Ty, who is this really great friend that might be something more, and she allows herself to be vulnerable in front of him. It's a really touching moment.
The song was very important, and it's also beautifully understated. We know how important the song is for her, but she also has so many other passions. The song kind of pushes her towards her dreams, but it isn't the only thing that we that we notice about her.
This film also features a certified Hollywood legend, Carol Burnett. Can you talk about what you were able to absorb from her while she was on set?
Auli'i Cravalho: Absolutely. Yes, I can. Carol Burnett is a dream. She really, really is. My mom watched The Carol Burnett Show, whereas I know her from Annie, where she played Miss Hannigan. That's the character that I really knew; Annie was one of my favorite musicals growing up.
We were shooting one of the scenes, and I have to cry in front of her. I would get into character, and I'm like, "My character is ready." And then I would look into her eyes, and the tears that had materialized just evaporated. I'm like, "Why am I crying in front of Carol Burnett?" I'm sitting right next to her, she smells good, she's beautiful. She's this Hollywood legend. It would pull me out of characters so quick. We must have done the scene an exhausting amount of times.
Brett and I made eye contact, and I was like, "Look, dude, I'm trying my best. You put me in front of a Hollywood legend. I need a few more takes." And he was like, Alright, kid. I understand." I really appreciated it.
But she's so kind. She asked all the names of everyone in cast and crew and introduced herself. Her acting is just - if I can say perfect, I'll use the word perfect. She doesn't push any of her lines. She's so comfortable and graceful in her skin. And she really brought the role of Joan, and Joan's tough love, to life.
Brett really managed to capture the joy and the confusion of youth. Can you talk to me a little bit more about his directing style? It seems he really trusted his actors.
Auli'i Cravalho: Yeah, I'm surprised at how much he trusted me, actually. I was like, "Wow, I think I know my character. But now you're asking me questions like I'm the expert." Usually on projects that I've worked on, I work really hard on the character and who I am and the background. Where I'm coming from in a scene and blah blah blah - all that actory stuff. But Brett was actually really helpful, in that everything was a conversation.
The real connection between each and every one of the characters was what was most important. Our cast is so beautiful and so special, and we're all really great friends. We're also differently abled and non-neurotypical and people of color, and I think it was really important for Brett to see a cast that he would see in real life. So, I'm really proud of the film that we've made and proud of my costars as well.
Disney has been making a live-action killing with their adaptation of classics. Moana seems like such a natural fit for that. Do you want to play Moana in a live-action film?
Auli'i Cravalho: Ooh, what a question. I feel really blessed that I was able to give Moana her voice, and I would absolutely love to voice her again. I don't know what's in the cards from Mona, though. I'm not 16 anymore. Our film actually came out November 23, 2016, the day after my 16th birthday. Moana was 16 in the film, so it felt very serendipitous. I had a very sweet 16; I was traveling the world promoting the film, and it's a time in my life that I'll never forget.
But like I said, I think representation in casting is really very important. So, I think we could find a Moana that could also do her a lot of justice. There are so many wonderful young Hawaiian and Polynesian actors and actresses out there. Really, the options are endless. There's so many talented people that could audition and potentially get the role.
You have several mentors giving you advice in the film, and each performer affects you in a different way. Can you talk to me about all of Amber's different mentors on and off screen shape her?
Auli'i Cravalho: Sure. Thank you for bringing that up. Fred Armisen plays Mr. Franks, who is a really wonderful and hilarious drama teacher that I think any drama kid can really relate to. He is so supportive of Amber's dreams and wanting her to pursue the fact that she's a performer. She's an actor and she has such a passion for the arts, and I think we all have had some type of teacher that has pushed us towards the path of whatever greatness we decide to be.
There's also Justina Machado, who plays Amber's mom, and she brings such a beautiful warmth and love. Like I said, it's the two of them against the world, so that mother-daughter relationship is also really important for Amber. There's also Judy Reyes, who plays one of Amber's best friend's mother. She also has a beautiful connection with Amber, and she has to kind of draw that line because she isn't her mother but she loves her like one. So, that's really interesting to see.
There's also Rhenzy Feliz, who plays Ty. He's a really great friend of Amber's, and maybe a little bit something more. I always think of Ty as her quiet voice of reason, because he's a good man and he doesn't really dabble too much. He tries not to be a burden on her, but he knows that she's stubborn. When she won't listen to anyone else, he knows that that hopefully he can get through to her.
Yes, absolutely. There are so many beautiful relationships in this film that makes Amber the kind, open-hearted hero that she really is.
All Together Now is now streaming on Netflix.