'Moana' star Auli'i Cravalho used red lipstick handprint to make a powerful statement in support of missing and murdered Indigenous women
Auli'i Cravalho is putting her message where her mouth is.
The Moana star arrived at the premiere of Amazon Prime's new series The Power with a red lipstick handprint planted across her face — a display of solidarity with Indigenous women.
"I'm also representing No More Stolen Sisters, and bringing light to murdered and Indigenous women," the actress told ET.
A red handprint placed across the mouth is a symbol of support for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in North America.
According to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, Indigenous women experience murder rates more than 10 times the national average, while four out of five native women experience some sort of violence in their lifetime.
Cravalho told Good Morning America that she saw the big night as the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and show her support for the cause in an eye-grabbing way.
"We were lucky enough to be filming in Vancouver for The Power, and I saw many a monument about it, and I'm so grateful to be working on a film based on female empowerment," she said, adding, "I felt like I had to put my money where my mouth was."
She also called out a lack of police involvement in cases regarding crimes committed against indigenous women and girls.
"It is incredibly frustrating that there are not enough cases that are actually followed up with. It points to police and how they are not using their funds correctly," she told GMA.
Cravalho also spoke about how the show, which highlights themes of power imbalance and female empowerment, is especially relevant now.
"I didn't realize how often I acted or didn't act due to internalized fear of not being strong enough. And I think that the power really does change everything. It's groundbreaking," she said.
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