Auli’i Cravalho Talks Hulu’s ‘Crush,’ Bi Representation, and Her Kiss with Rowan Blanchard

In Crush, a new LGBTQ teen romance that began streaming on Hulu today, being gay is pretty much the opposite of a big deal. Girls can kiss girls, girls can kiss boys, girls can kiss non-binary teens—no one at protagonist Paige’s (Rowan Blanchard) fictional high school cares in the slightest.
For Auli’i Cravalho, who plays AJ—the girl that Paige thinks she dislikes but ultimately winds up kissing—this not only rang true to her teenage years, it was also a relief to see it presented so casually onscreen. “I had a lot of queer friends,” she told Decider frankly in a Zoom interview. “I kissed a lot of my friends, I’ll be honest!”
The 21-year-old Hawaiian actor, who first came to fame as the voice of Moana in the 2016 animated Disney musical, is openly bisexual. But while she was thrilled to play a bisexual character on screen, she was even more thrilled that it didn’t define her character’s personality. AJ is a lot of things—a track star, a cool kid, a loner, and a sibling who’s always in the shadow of her more bubbly sister, Gabriela (Isabella Ferreira). In fact, it’s Gabriela that Blanchard’s character is crushing on, and the reason Paige joins the track team. But when AJ gets stuck with training Paige to get her up to speed, sparks start to fly.
Decider spoke to Cravalho about her headcanons for Paige and AJ, filming that kiss scene, her involvement in the upcoming Moana series, and her hopes to get on Marvel’s radar.
Decider: When did you first get involved in Crush, and what made you want to take on the role of AJ?

Auli’i Cravalho: I remember reading the script about a year ago now, and I immediately knew that I wanted to be AJ. There were talks of “Do you want to audition for Paige as well?” And the answer was no. I wanted to play AJ because she was so different from anyone I had ever played before. I was so taken by how she played things close to her chest—she was so cool and collected in front of a crush. I am not cool and collected in front of a crush! I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m very animated. Crushes usually know that I have a crush on them. [Laughs.]
I also loved the humor. I thought it was really on the nose and like, so Gen-Z. Our humor is so dry and witty. Filled with sexual innuendos, because we’re teens and it’s what we’re going through. And I loved that our film didn’t center around a coming-out story. Because I’ve seen that movie before. So when the script crossed me I was like, “Yeah, I want this one.”
As you said, AJ is this cool, aloof, mysterious jock. Is that a person you instantly related to, or did you have to dig a little deeper to find your connection to her?
I definitely had to dig a little deeper. To be honest, she’s my type—she’s the one I usually fall for! She’s masc, and she’s aware of her physical abilities. She’s co-captain of the track team. She herself is so fast. Like, I trained as hard as I could in running, and the rest they fixed in post. But I knew that this was her identity. She’s also a skateboarder, so I took skateboarding lessons, and I fell a lot. That really bruised my ego, but that’s just part of AJ’s life. Then I realized she must be used to not being the fastest person on the track, she must be used to falling—truly the metaphor of getting back up again and training to be the best. And then I was like, “Ah, so AJ’s a perfectionist.” That’s something I can relate to. So, she’s different from me but that’s the fun of playing a character that’s different—I learn more about myself and I try new things. I’m really grateful for AJ.
You looked like a natural running in the movie! That’s not something that comes naturally to you?
Really?! I am a swimmer, I only did water sports in high school. But yeah I just practiced running—which is a dumb thing to say, but you can practice running! And you can get better at it. We had this really great coach, his name was Coach Deep. He was a real coach, he wasn’t like an actor who played a coach. This guy was the real deal. We had him explaining how exactly to do the handoffs [for the relay race], and I just took to it. I wanted to make it look as realistic as possible. I was huffing it. Like, I was running in those scenes. So I really appreciate you saying that it looked good because I haven’t seen the final cut yet. I was exhausted at the end of those days!

What does it mean to you to be playing a bi character?
It’s so nice. It’s also really nice that it’s not a big deal, you know? It’s simply her sexuality—it isn’t a personality trait or anything. It’s fun. It’s also nice to have worked with other actors who are queer and are open and out about it. Our writers, Casey Rackham and Kirsten King, are queer and our director, Sammi Cohen. It was a great space. They got it. And I didn’t have to—I don’t mean to say “play gay” or anything like that, but these characters are more than just their sexualities. It was fun to just let them live, let them breathe, and let them love as they would as any high schooler would.
I appreciate how many different types of queer characters there are. That high school felt like a little queer utopia. Does that feel similar to your experience growing up? Is this how Gen Z is?
I had a lot of queer friends. I kissed a lot of my friends, I’ll be honest. I also went to school in Hawai’i, so yeah my school was very diverse, and pretty darn inclusive, which I’m really grateful for. Something that I think we all learned is that media and the film that we consume, on our TVs or on our smartphones, really does affect how people are treated in real life. So by having these stories that are sex-positive… we expand people’s minds a bit and we expand their hearts. Because suddenly you see someone who’s living this way, and you realize, “Oh people are gay. Okay!” And again, it’s not a character trait. It’s just something that exists. Because that’s really how it is. Teens are gay!
I love to hear that. I think people are going to be all in on the AJ/Paige ship, so I want to ask what’s your headcanon is for AJ’s feelings for Paige?  Has she always had a crush on her?
I think AJ always thought that Paige is special. The word “crush” almost might be too serious for it, but sometimes you just see someone and you’re like, “You’re different and I like it.” I think that comes also from Paige’s artistic nature—the fact that she draws anything and everything that comes to mind, right out in the open. Later we find out AJ also really enjoys art, but doesn’t want people to know she’s an artist. Because I think there’s a severe vulnerability to that. AJ can take a note and be coached in track—and can fall and fail in skateboarding—being criticized about your art is like being criticized about your passion. That hurts on a completely different level. So I think that’s where the crush stems from—seeing someone live so fully and openly. What a blessing it is to see that.
I have to ask about that first kiss scene in the bathroom. Can you talk me through kind of filming it—how Sammi Cohen directed you and Rowan, and made sure everyone felt comfortable?
I believe that scene happened on either the last day or the second to last day of shooting. Which was very helpful because by that time you know your co-star, and Sammi and I had a very good shorthand at that point. We’d worked together for as much time as we possibly could before getting to perhaps the most vulnerable scenes. It was awkward because that’s movie-making. But also it was lit really beautifully—and these were also the scenes we had auditioned with as well. Because that’s how you do it, you check if you have chemistry, so the scenes were also familiar to us. Then you just let the characters take over. And it’s fun to kiss people, you know what I mean? The slow burn—especially when you’ve been filming the film all the time—the slow burn is finally happening. That’s one of the key factors to a great rom-com: the kiss. To finally get to it was like, “Ah, what a relief!”

I think this movie will mean a lot to young queer teens. Do you have shows, movies, or books that made you feel seen when you were coming of age? 

I don’t think that I did. I grew up knowing a lesbian family, and my aunt is bi-sexual, I really just had a beautiful upbringing. Growing up in Hawai’i, everyone is auntie and uncle. I also grew up without television, so I wasn’t boxed in by what I saw on TV. And I’m really grateful for that. So instead I just get to make films that inspire people. I didn’t know I’d get to do that. It’s really special.
Is there any chance that Crush could have a sequel, or maybe be a series? Would you be down for that? For AJ and Paige’s story to continue?
Yeah! I mean I can definitely see more of a storyline for Paige. I would also love to see AJ get more into her art. There’s room to play.
Last year Disney announced a Moana series is in the works. Are you involved in this? What can you say?
[Whispers]I can’t say anything, I can’t say anything at all! But I am a part of it, and I’m really excited. [Laughs] Don’t tell the mouse I said that!
I can’t wait. I also saw that you’re going to be electrocuting people in a new Amazon series called The Power. What can you tell me about that?
Correct. I will be electrocuting people left and right! The Power is based on the book by Naomi Alderman of the same name, and it’s a story about young girls and women who suddenly develop the ability to electrocute people at will. It explores the power of electrocution, but also how power structures change when women have strength over the opposite sex—how truly the world will change. And it’s such a fun, different world to live in. It was so much fun to film that, and I’m patiently waiting for it to come out!
Is there a role or a type of role that you’d like to do more of, or would like to try? Should we get you in a Marvel movie?
Ooo, the answer is yes, the answer is yes! One of the reasons I really wanted to play AJ was for the physical aspect. I want to throw myself into roles, and part of that is the physicality of scenes. I just worked on a film called Darby Harper Wants You to Know. Couldn’t tell you when that’s going to come out, but I got to do harness work in that and that was so much fun. I’m a cheerleader, so I got to get thrown up into the air. I’m really exploring my natural strength, and training for films is really fun for me. So I hope to continue doing that. Marvel sounds great, yeah! Tell them I said hi! Tell them I want to be in their films!