For actress Samantha Lorraine, landing the role of Dora the Explorer in the new live-action adventure, Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, was more than just a dream – it felt like destiny.

“I have so many pictures of me [as a little girl] dressed in Dora shirts,” Lorraine told Latina Media Co during a recent interview. “I had the Dora bob [haircut] before I got the audition. I’d like to think that I’ve been training for this day.”

The Paramount+ film reinvents the iconic character who has been a cornerstone of children’s TV for more than two decades. Lorraine portrays Dora as she embarks on a dangerous quest through the Amazon jungle to find the lost treasure of Sol Dorado.

“Dora is such an iconic character,” Lorraine said. “She’s an adventurer. She has such a youthful, bright spirit. I try to model myself after her all the time. I kept asking myself, ‘What would little Samantha want to see?’”

Samantha Lorraine, who grew up in Miami with a large Cuban family, said watching the animated TV series Dora the Explorer as a child helped shape her into the inquisitive young adult she is today.

“If it weren’t for Dora, how different would I have turned out to be?” Lorraine asked. “Maybe I wouldn’t have asked so many questions or maybe I wouldn’t be as curious.”

In Sol Dorado, that same spirit of curiosity and courage remains, this time with new layers. Dora still displays the same classic characteristics as the original cartoon – optimism, positivity, and an adventurous spirit – but she also faces unfamiliar, emotional challenges.

“She kind of goes through an identity crisis,” Lorraine said. “We see her go through something almost like grief [when] the things that are so iconic to her – like Boots and Backpack and Map – are taken away. When she starts losing these things, it makes her character feel grounded and like a real person. Many people go through these things.”

Lorraine said that it was important for her to lean into the tone and energy of the original animated TV series, but also stay open and allow the character to evolve as the narrative progressed.

“There are many different messages from the movie, and that’s why I think it’s so special,” she said. “That’s such a beautiful and profound thing.”

As with any cultural icon, Dora’s signature look, her pink shirt and orange shorts, carried a significant weight, especially for the actress, representing a whole generation who grew up seeing themselves in Dora.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” she said. “I’ve been connecting with fans, and even got to speak with Kathleen Herles, the original voice of Dora. That shook me to my core. It was such a pinch-me moment.”

There were plenty of moments during production, too, that Lorraine said were surreal, including shooting in the jungle for weeks at a time.

“It was so spiritual,” she said. “I really felt like an explorer.”

In one scene, she was covered by real-life cockroaches, and she remembered how director Alberto Belli (Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion) told her he wanted a “Michael Bay shot.” “That shot of me stepping into the bone chamber with the camera circling me, that was the moment I realized this movie was going to be huge,” Lorraine said. “Alberto was so inspired by movies like The Goonies and Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. I feel like all of those are such good callbacks.”

Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado isn’t Lorraine’s first brush with a breakout hit. Last year, she was incredible in her role in the Netflix family comedy, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which starred Adam Sandler and his real-life family, including his daughter Sunny in the lead role.

“That movie was like having a party every day,” she said. “It was so fun. Some of my best friends came from that set. Looking back on it, I realize how epic it was. But, honestly, it’s 10 times more [epic] with [Dora]. The spectacle is huge!”

Now 18, Lorraine isn’t rushing into the next phase of her career. She’s open to playing younger characters or taking on darker material – if it speaks to her. Samantha Lorraine knows her experiences making Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado will be something she carries to the next project.

“Hopefully, fingers crossed, there is a long career ahead [for me],” she said. “I took a lot from this set when it comes to fearlessness, perseverance, stamina, and determination. I would not have been able to do it if not for Dora.”