“Moana 2” Director Dana Ledoux Miller Revealed What It Was Like Working With Auli’i Cravalho And Dwayne Johnson

Warning: Major Moana 2 spoilers ahead!

Moana 2 is ~sailing away~ at the box office! The film is breaking records as fans venture to the theatres and embark on the next chapter of Moana’s journey.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Best of all, our favorites are back! From Auli’i Cravalho (who voices Moana) to Dwayne Johnson (who voices Maui), the cast of the first movie returns to bring their iconic characters to life in the sequel.

Jesse Grant / Getty Images for Disney

This week, director Dana Ledoux Miller chatted with BuzzFeed about her favorite moments with the cast, calling her time with Auli’i and Dwayne “really special.”

“I assume you never know what it’s going to be like coming into a role that you’ve already played and coming back after eight years to jump into this,” she said. “But I was so impressed by both of them, the way they were able to just find these characters again, but also find new depths to them.”

“And Auli’i is just hilarious in the booth. She’s so physical and so just on point. The first day I was in the recording session with her, we were talking outside, and then she walked in, and it was like, ‘Oh, crap, that’s Moana!’ Just on and amazing.”

Dana told us her favorite moment of Maui is towards the end of the film, when he loses his power and tattoos. “He’s vulnerable in a way that he’s never been before. And he’s grieving a loss. [Writer] Jared Bush and I were talking through what that means to be so strong and to be somebody who, in theory, doesn’t need anyone, but suddenly be taken to your knees and vulnerable in a way you’ve never been before, and having to ask for help in a way you’ve never been before. What does that look like when you are larger than life?”

“To talk that through with Dwayne, who is larger than life in so many ways and doesn’t often get to go to these places emotionally as an actor, was really exciting.”

She was also thrilled to work with Jemaine Clement, who you’ll remember from the first movie as the voice of Tamatoa.

“Jemaine came in to do Tamatoa. I am a huge Flight of the Conchords fan. Eagle vs Shark is one of my favorite films. It’s one of his early films, and it’s so weird. And I was like, ‘That’s the kind of movie I’m gonna make!’ I’m not as funny as him, so I haven’t made a movie like that. But my heart was so full. I could listen to this man riff forever. It was pretty awesome.”

Though Jemaine only shows up at the very end in a post-credits scene, Dana said, “We kept him a little longer, just to really let him go off for our own benefit. Don’t tell him that.”

You can read the full interview with Dana for more behind-the-scenes details about Moana 2 here.