Isabela Moner Learned Indigenous Peruvian Language to Play Dora the Explorer in 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold'

Isabela Moner is using her role in this summer's Dora The Explorer movie as an opportunity to connect more deeply to her Peruvian ancestry.

WESTWOOD, CA - JUNE 26: Actress Isabela Moner attends Columbia Pictures' 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado' Premiere at Regency Village Theatre on June 26, 2018 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) GETTY

The actress and musician, whose mother is Peruvian and father hails from Louisiana, is set to bring to life the popular animated character in the live action adaption, titled Dora and the Lost City of Gold, set to hit theaters on August 2.

For the role, Moner says she learned Quechua, the indigenous language spoken primarily in the Peruvian Andres and the highlands of South America as far back as the 1500's.

I'm so excited for Dora, you don’t understand," Moner told Forbes over the phone while promoting the DVD release of her hit film Instant Family.

"The Peruvian community is going to flip! Dora's adventures will take audiences to Machu Picchu where they'll explore the Incan culture. I had to learn Quechua to speak it in the movie because Dora is very cultured and she knows everything about everything. Between scenes, I'd call my great aunt in Peru to ask her about certain phrases and how to say them in Quechua.

I'm still trying to grasp the fact that Peru is finally being represented so largely in Hollywood because it never has before. This is going to be huge in every sense of the word.

I’ve been trying to talk to the director about having a premiere there because it seems appropriate. If not, I’ll just go over there when it premieres so I can make it a big deal because it is a big deal."

First Look at Isabela Moner as DORA THE EXPLORER in the eponymous film by Paramount PlayersPHOTO CREDIT: VINCE VALITUTTI/PARAMOUNT

After it was announced that Moner (100 Things to Do Before High School, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Transformers: The Last Knight) had been cast as Dora, it sparked conversations about whether or not the character was originally from Mexico. The Sicario: Day of the Soldado star says the film's director James Bobin did his research on the subject.

"The casting director reached out to me as I was going into the final casting and they asked me about my ethnicity," she explained. "They did all their research and Dora doesn’t have a defined ethnicity. So it seems that people have assumed that she’s Mexican but she’s not."

It was important to Moner that the film feature Latino actors and that their characters weren't stereotypes. She credits her British director for making this happen by encouraging open dialogue throughout the shoot in Australia.

"I'm so excited for people to see the film because I really loved playing such a popular Latino character. I'm especially proud that she's not a stereotype, our director encouraged us to give him feedback. We have an all Latino cast, too! We have Eva Longoria, Michael Pena and Eugenio Derbez, who plays my right hand man in the movie. It’s just going to be amazing!

I think it’ll do great mainstream because the whole dynamic is like the Buddy the Elf story, very fish out of water type of situation. She’s kind of hyper like she is on the TV show and everyone else is really mellow and chilled out."

HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 23: Actors Isabela Moner (L) and Eugenio Derbez attend the NALIP 2018 Latino Media Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on June 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for NALIP) GETTY

Since wrapping on Dora, the 17-year-old has been working in Canada on a holiday film for Netflix titled Let It Snow alongside Kiernan Shipka, Shameik Moore and Joan Cusack. While there are few details available about the movie, Moner, who was recently named one of Variety's 10 Latinx Talent To Watch in 2019, compares it to another popular film.

"Let it Snow is a Christmas movie for Netflix, and I play the lead," she said. "It’s a story that’s kind of like Love Actually where all the stories intertwine and come together finally in the end. It’s a feel good movie but it also has some meat in it which is what I gravitated towards.

It’s weird because it’s March and I’m in the Christmas spirit. I’m a little off! That's all I can say right now because they're being pretty secretive."

To celebrate Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Isabela Moner and Eugenio Derbez will be making special guest appearances at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2019 on Saturday, March 23, 2019.

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H/T: Agencia Peruana de Noticias Andina.

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