A well-known “Star Wars” actor has inspired his actress daughter to honor his legacy.
Catherine Laga’aia, 19, will make her big screen acting debut playing the eponymous character in the upcoming remake of the 2016 Disney masterpiece “Moana.” The young Australian star’s only previous acting credit came in three 2023 episodes of the Aussie drama miniseries “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.”
Her dad, Jay Laga’aia, famously played Captain Typho in 2002’s “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (he also voiced the character in the 2002 video game “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga”).
His daughter has recently spoken to People about why earning his approval was so important to her and how he inspired her to honor his legacy.
Catherine Laga’aia Wants Her Father ‘To Be Proud’
GettySpeaking to People, Catherine Laga’aia explained that, as much as she wanted the world to enjoy her performance as “Moana” in her movie debut, the one person she wanted to impress the most was her dad.
After joking, “I inherited nepotism, that’s for sure. I’ll take that anytime,” Laga’aia told the publication, “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.”
The young star continued, “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.”
Laga’aia went on, saying, “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.”
Although “Moana” isn’t released yet, given the popularity of the animated original, the fabulous cast, and the simple fact that it’s Disney we’re talking about, we’re sure it’ll be a huge success. Moreover, we’re certain that Laga’aia will make her father proud.
Who Is Jay Laga’aia?
Jay Laga’aia is a 62-year-old New Zealand-Australian actor who was born on September 10, 1963 in Auckland, New Zealand.
As well as the two above-mentioned “Star Wars” instalments, his movie credits include the 1988 fantasy adventure “The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey,” the 2006 crime drama “Solo,” the 2008 comedy “Crooked Business,” the 2009 dystopian sci-fi action-horror vampire movie “Daybreakers,” and the 2020 action comedy “The Legend of Baron To’a.”
On television, his credits include soap opera “Home and Away,” the zombie comedy series “Drop Dead Weird,” the drama miniseries “Fighting Season,” and, most prominently, the children’s series “Jay’s Jungle,” in which he portrays the eponymous lighthouse keeper who lives on a J-shaped island. He has appeared in a whopping 255 episodes of the latter.
“Moana” hits theaters around the world on Friday, July 10. Get your tickets now and make sure you go and see it.
Both Catherine Lagaʻaia and Jay Lagaʻaia’s filmography and personal info were courtesy of IMDb.
