Drew Afualo out here doing the lord ’s study .
1.Iam Tongi
Of Tongan, Samoan, and Irish descent, the 18-year-old was born and raised in Hawai’i. He recently became thefirstPacific Islander to winAmerican Idolaftercapturing the heartsof viewers across the country with his touching story and incredible voice.
2.Drew Afualo
If you don’t know Drew, you’re missing out! The Samoan TikTok star first gained fame by calling out misogynists on social media, all with her iconic laugh and great sense of humor. She’s the host ofThe Comment Section with Drew Afualopodcast, and she’s also hosted red-carpet events like the Oscars and theBlack Adampremiere.
3.Jason Momoa
Born in Hawai’i, Jason is Native Hawaiian on his father’s side and German, Irish, and Pawnee on his mother’s. After the world fell in love with him inGame of Thrones, he went on to star inFrontier,See, and theAquamanmovies. I’m super excited to see him in the newFast and Furiousmovie and his upcoming show,Chief of War.
4.Simone Kessell
Born in New Zealand, the actor is of Māori and European descent. She’s been in a bunch of shows includingTerra Nova, Of Kings and Prophets,andThe Crossing,and she’s absolutely killing it right now as Adult Lottie inYellowjackets.
5.Courtney Eaton
Born in Australia, the actor is of Māori, Cook Island, Chinese, and English heritage. You can find her inMad Max: Fury RoadandGods of Egypt,but her portrayal of Teen Lottie inYellowjacketsis definitely my favorite performance so far.
6.Taika Waititi
Born in New Zealand, Taika is Māori on his father’s side and Russian Jewish on his mother’s. Is there anything this man can’t do? He wrote, directed, and starred in bothWhat We Do in the ShadowsandJojo Rabbit, for which he became the first Māori filmmaker towin an Oscarfor Best Adapted Screenplay. He directed several of Marvel’sThormovies and an episode ofThe Mandalorian. He writes for the show he co-created,Reservation Dogs,and his new comedy,Next Goal Wins, comes out this year. Plus, his filmHunt for the Wilderpeopleis a masterpiece! Do yourself a favor and watch it if you’re ever in need of a laugh.
7.Sasha Colby
Born and raised in Hawai’i, Sasha is Native Hawaiian and Irish. In 2012, she won the Miss Continental competition, and this year, she won Season 15 ofRuPaul’s Drag Race— the first Pacific Islander to take the crown!
8.Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne is Samoan on his mother’s side and Black on his father’s. After gaining fame as a WWE wrestler, he became the Hollywood star we know and love today. He’s been in everything from theFast and Furiousfranchise to theJumanjimovies toMoana(he’ll be reprising his role as Maui in the live-action remake!). And last year, he became the first Samoan to play a superhero withBlack Adam.
9.Parris Goebel
Born in New Zealand, the dance powerhouse and model is Samoan on her mother’s side and white on her father’s. She’s worked with a ton of artists like Jennifer Lopez, SZA, and Shakira, and she choreographed music videos for Justin Bieber, Sam Smith, and Ciara. She won an Emmy for her work on “Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3,” and she choreographed Rihanna’s iconic Super Bowl performance this year!
10.Auli’i Cravalho
Born in Hawai’i, Auli’i is of Native Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Chinese, and Irish heritage. After making her acting debut as the voice of Moana, Auli’i returned to Disney as Ariel in ABC’s live-action concert rendition ofThe Little Mermaid. Since then, she’s starred in the drama filmAll Together Nowand the teen comedy showDarby and the Dead.She’ll be portraying Janis in the upcomingMean Girlsmovie musical and serving as an executive producer on the live-action remake ofMoana.
11.KJ Apa
The New Zealand-born actor is of Samoan and European heritage, and he received hismatai (chief) titlelast year. He became a household name by playing Archie Andrews onRiverdale, but you can also find him inThe Hate U GiveandI Still Believe. And did you know that KJ is a talented musician? In 2021, he released an indie folk-rock album calledClocks.
12.Dinah Jane
The singer is mainly Tongan, with some Samoan, Fijian, and Danish heritage. While competing onThe X Factorin 2012, she joined four other contestants to form a girl group that would go on to become the wildly popular Fifth Harmony. When the group partnered with Barbie and a doll was made of each member, Dinah inspired the first Polynesian Barbie. Now focused on her solo career, she will release new music this year and is working on creating her own record label.
13.Keisha Castle-Hughes
Born in Australia and raised in New Zealand, the actor is Māori on her mother’s side and white on her father’s. I absolutely LOVED her inWhale Rider(one of my all-time favorite movies). Since then, she’s been inThe Nativity Story,Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,andGame of Thrones. Currently, she’s playing Hana inFBI: Most Wanted.
14.Jemaine Clement
The New Zealand-born actor is of Māori and European descent. He was sooo funny inFlight of the Conchords! Jemaine joined Taika Waititi as an actor, writer, and director inWhat We Do in the Shadows. He’s done tons of voice work for animated movies, includingDespicable Me,Rio,Moana, andThe Lego Batman Movie. He’s also been in hits likeMen in Black 3andAvatar: The Way of Water.
15.Rose Matafeo
Born in New Zealand, Rose is Samoan on her father’s side and Croatian and Scottish on her mother’s. This woman can do it all — she’s an actor, writer, comedian, director, and podcast host. You can find her stand-up special,Horndog, and comedy series,Starstruck, on HBO Max.
16.Oscar Kightley
Born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, the actor played Albert in the iconicSione’s Wedding(my favorite Pacific Islander comedy of all time!). Next, he’ll be portraying the head of American Samoa soccer in Taika Waititi’s upcoming film,Next Goal Wins. If thetraileris anything to go by, Oscar will be just as hilarious in this movie!
17.Kaliko Kauahi
Born in Hawaiʻi, the actor is of Native Hawaiian and Japanese heritage. You probably know her as Sandra inSuperstore, but she’s also appeared inParks and Recreation,The Big Bang Theory, andRaven’s Home.
18.Cooper Andrews
On his father’s side, the actor is Samoan, and on his mother’s he’s Hungarian-Jewish. Best known for playing Jerry onThe Walking Dead, Cooper was also inHalt and Catch Fireand theShazammovies.
19.Alex Aiono
Alex is Samoan and Māori on his father’s side and white on his mother’s. After gaining a massive following on YouTube for his music, he landed a starring role inFinding Ohana. He plays Walter inDoogie Kameāloha, M.D.and Alex inPretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
20.Kelly Hu
Born in Hawai’i, Kelly is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and English heritage. After winning Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993, she landed roles inThe Scorpion Kingand theX-MenmovieX-2. She’s been in teen shows likeThe Vampire DiariesandThe 100, and she voiced Stacy inPhineas and Ferb. Currently, she plays Admiral Ozawa inThe Orville.
21.Alex Tarrant
The New Zealand-born actor is of Māori, Samoan, and Niuean heritage. Alex had leading roles inWhen We Go to War,Shortland Street, andNight Raiders.Currently, he plays Kai inNCIS: Hawaiʻiand Valandil inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
22.Nicole Scherzinger
Born in Hawai’i, Nicole is of Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and Ukrainian descent. You probably know her from the Pussycat Dolls/her solo music career, but she’s also been onDancing with the Starsand served as a judge/panelist onThe X Factor,Australia’s Got Talent,andThe Masked Singer.And she voiced Sina, Moana’s mother, in the Disney movie.
23.Uli Latukefu
Born in Australia, the actor is Tongan. He gained fame by playing Dwayne Johnson inYoung Rock, but he was also great inMarco PoloandBlack Adam.
24.Temuera Morrison
Born in New Zealand, the actor is of Māori, Scottish, and Irish heritage. He’s been in tons of stuff, likeStar Warsfilms,Once Were Warriors, and theAquamanmovies. He famously returned to theStar Warsfranchise as the iconic Boba Fett (the son of his character Jango Fett from the prequels) inThe Mandalorianand even got his own spin-off,The Book of Boba Fett.
25.Rachel House
The New Zealand-born actor is of Māori and European descent. She’s a frequent collaborator of Taika Waititi and has been in plenty of NZ films likeWhale RiderandBoy, as well as Hollywood films likeThor: Ragnarok.Plus, she’s voiced multiple animated characters including Terry in Disney/Pixar’sSouland Gramma Tala inMoana.
26.Mainei Kinimaka
Born in Hawai’i, the Native Hawaiian actor was a famous surfer before turning to acting. This year, she was inSee,The Last Manhunt, andKapō. Mainei recently announced that she joined the cast of Jason Momoa’s upcoming show,Chief of War.
27.Manu Bennett
Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, the actor is of Māori, Irish, and Scottish descent. I loved his portrayal of Crixus inSpartacus,but he was also great inArrowand theHobbitmovies.
28.Stacey Leilua
Born in New Zealand, the actor is of Samoan, Māori, and European descent. She started out in theater and produced a Pacific Islander musical before doing shows in New York City. For the last several years, she’s played Ata Johnson (Dwayne Johnson’s mom) inYoung Rock.
29.John Tui
The Tongan actor was born in New Zealand. After a role inSione’s Wedding, he appeared in the finalHobbitmovie,Solo: A Star Wars Story, andHobbs & Shaw. Currently, he plays Afa Anoa’i inYoung Rock.
30.And finally, Cliff Curtis
The Māori actor is known for powerful New Zealand films likeOnce Were WarriorsandThe Dark Horse, as well as his long Hollywood career. He’s been in tons of hits, includingLive Free or Die Hard,Fear the Walking Dead, andHobbs & Shaw.Most recently, he played Tonowari, the chief of the Metkayina clan, inAvatar: The Way of Water.
Drew Afualo out here doing the lord’s work.
