While 17-year-old Australian actress Catherine Laga'aia is playing the lead character in Disney's live-action remake of Moana, 11-year-old Amaya Masoli of Daly City was cast as her younger self.

Young actress Amaya Masoli and her mom, both residents of Daly City, sat down for an interview with KRON4 Friday morning, two weeks ahead of the July 10 nationwide opening of Moana, the live action version — which also stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui, the shape-shifting demigod he provided the voice for in the 2016 animated film and its 2024 sequel.

When asked about the experience of booking this job to play Young Moana, Masoli says, "That was one of my earliest auditions and it was so cool for them actually to get back to me."

Masoli talks about a moment on the last day of shooting when she felt something on her back and she wasn't sure if it was her itchy costume, only to find out afterward that she had a fire ant crawling on her and biting her.

And as for this first moment in the spotlight, Masoli says she's "very much" ready to start getting recognized by the public once the movie comes out.