Catherine Laga’aia Stuns at ‘Moana’ Premiere, Opens Up About Her Father’s Influence on Her Big Break

Catherine Laga'aia turned heads at the "Moana" premiere in a striking navy-and-white gown, just one day after joking about her "nepo baby" status. The 19-year-old actress opened up about her father's influence on her breakout role.

Catherine Laga'aia is owning her star power. The young actress stepped out for the Los Angeles premiere of the live-action "Moana" on Tuesday, July 7, and she came dressed to the nines.

She wore a navy-and-white printed gown with a halter neckline, featuring pleated ruffle detailing throughout and cutout panels at the midriff. The skirt was voluminous and heavily tiered, built from layers of ruffled fabric in the same graphic print.

Her dark, curly hair was worn down, with the front sections pulled back in a half-up style. She accessorized with diamond stud earrings and finished her makeup with a glossy, soft pink lip. Rounding out the ensemble were white strappy heeled sandals and a collection of silver rings.

Laga'aia was joined at the event by her co-stars, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Rena Owen, and Frankie Adams. Her appearance, just days before the Disney film's much-anticipated release, comes shortly after she poked fun at being a "nepo baby."

The Australian newcomer, 19, stars opposite Johnson in the live-action rendition of the beloved 2016 animated film, stepping into the iconic role first voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho. The movie marks her breakout performance, following a walk-on appearance in the series "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart."

But as thrilled as she was to bring a new version of Moana to life, Laga'aia admitted there was one opinion that mattered most to her: that of her father, actor Jay Lagaʻaia.

"I inherited nepotism, that's for sure. I'll take that anytime," she joked, referring to her dad, who portrayed Captain Typho in "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith."

Growing up with a father who understood the demands of the industry, she explained, gave her a unique perspective as she launched her own acting career.

"I think having my dad in the industry, as well as wanting to do the OG proud, and wanting to do the people who love the movies proud, I feel my biggest thing was I wanted him to be proud," she said. "He knows what's good, he knows what he likes. I'm someone on his side."

"That's the part of my family that I'm representing. So coming back to that, it's like a 'what would my dad do,' but it's also I need him to be, at the end of the day, proud of the legacy that I'm extending for him."

Laga'aia went on to reflect on growing up in a large family with seven siblings, and how that made carving out her own identity especially difficult. "Even my little house felt like a little Motunui, we had so many people always running around," she said, referring to Moana's home.

So when she landed "Moana," she said, everything clicked into place. "Okay, I've got my thing now. This is something that kind of differentiates me from you guys," she remembered thinking of her siblings.

Now, with filming wrapped, Lagaʻaia says she's able to appreciate not just the finished film, but how much the experience changed her personally.

"I've grown so much," she shared. "I can kind of let go of the more obsessing over how I look and what I sound like and how things are. I can see things through the bigger picture."