It's an enormous relief to go to work and be an actor and not be worried about writing.

I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot.

With every word, I drop knowledge. I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal.

The biggest secret weapon we had in regards to really being true to this part of the world, and making sure this part of the world could see themselves in this film [Moana] in a way that felt positive and accurate, was Opetaia, my co-writer, Opetaia Foa'i, who has a great band called Te Vaka and is an amazing musical and cultural ambassador.

I try to let my decisions be guided not by what I think will succeed or fail, but what I'm going to learn from that process.

If you know the voice you're writing for it's such a shortcut. It's such a catalyst to creating the kind of energy you want.

I loved musicals. I loved being in the school play and being lucky enough to get parts in the school play. But they always took place in some other time and place.