The 24-year-old opened up to People about much her mother, Puanani, made ends meet during her childhood. “We lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Mililani when I was cast. I slept in the bedroom, my mom slept on the couch. She gave me everything,” she said, sharing that she was raised on food stamps while growing up in Hawaii.

Just 16 when she made her breakout debut in Moana, Cravalho now helms the series, continuing her role in recently released sequel Moana 2. The movie has broken box office records, making a whopping $221 million in five days. 

She shares her success with her close-knit family. “Your parents give you so much,” Cravalho said, expressing her gratitude for their sacrifices, “kids feel a little indebted, I’m going to be honest!” Cravalho has been able to pave the way for her mother in turn. “I bought my mommy a house. She’s happily retired.” 

She’s not the only actor who has used her star to uplift their parents. Margot Robbie, known for movies such as Barbie; I, Tonya; and Wolf of Wall Street, explained that her mother took money from her mortgage when helping her pursue her career.

“One day, when I made enough money, I just paid that whole mortgage off completely,” Robbie said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “I was like, ‘Mom, don’t even worry about that mortgage anymore. It doesn’t even exist anymore.’”

Cravalho’s mother helped her stay true to herself

“I really get to have that full decade look back at just how much growth I’ve gone through,” says Cravalho. In between Moana blockbusters, she’s since gone on to star in movies like the Mean Girls remake and make her Broadway debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. 

But in the beginning she found it hard to adjust to her newfound fame. “I’d be a little gremlin,” she admits when speaking of going home and balancing schoolwork and career obligations as a child. “I didn’t have anything left,” she added. “Sometimes people talk about being a Disney kid, and I think so much of it is giving all of your energy to a project and then having nothing in reserve for yourself.”

Her mother kept her grounded, supporting her while holding her to high standards. “That was some tough parenting in allowing me to grow as a human, but also looking me in the eye and saying, ‘You need to be kind and you need to be kind to me,’” said Cravalho. It helped her realize that “I can’t give all of myself.”

Both her mother and father, Dwayne, stressed that she was to stay a normal child as much as she could. “My parents were like, ‘Listen, if [Moana] doesn’t go anywhere, you need to finish high school. You need to do the dishes. You need to fix your bed. Don’t let it get to your head.’”