"Descendants of iconic Disney fairy-tale characters and villains is just a concept that's evergreen, and people will always have a soft spot for that."
A little under 10 years ago, Disney introduced the Descendants franchise, giving new life to their iconic animated characters in a modern live-action TV movie. The premise worked. "It is just truly such a killer concept," says 19-year-old Kylie Cantrall, who stars as Red, the daughter of Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts (played by Rita Ora), in their latest installment Descendants: The Rise of Red. In the film, Red and Chloe (Malia Baker), the daughter of Cinderella, team up to save their fantasy world from extinction. Brandy Norwood reprises her role as Cinderella, which she first played in the now-classic 1997 TV movie Cinderella, reuniting with Paolo Montalban as Prince Charming. "They still have such a soft spot for each other. They just have the best chemistry." For Cantrall, who rose to fame playing the lead in Disney Channel series Gabby Duran & the Unsittables, getting this part "has felt so pinch me and so surreal." From here, Cantrall hopes to keep growing into her career. "I'm maturing, my art is maturing as well, and it's cool to see that reflected in the art I'm making."
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Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
How excited are you to be joining this franchise?
I mean, no amount of words can truly express just how ecstatic and just grateful I am to be a part of this project, especially as someone who grew up loving the franchise. I remember so vividly coming home from school in fourth grade being like, "There's this new movie, the Descendants, I'm dying to watch this. It looks so cool." Every moment in this process has felt so pinch me and has felt so surreal. It's been a whirlwind. I'm just so grateful to be here.
What excited you to be playing this part?
Well, I think that one of the things that initially really stuck out to me about Red is that she is a true antihero. It's like that classic, "I have to save the world, but I don't know if I can do it. I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks," that kind of vibe that I think is so fun because she's complex and so multidimensional. And as the story goes on, we peel back those layers. Especially the fact that the Queen of Hearts is her mom. I feel like there's so much there, growing up with such a cruel villain. It does make you wonder how would the kid turn out? How would someone who grew up with such an villainous mom deal with that struggle, trying to find herself and trying to find her inner good. I think that's the cool part of her relationship with Chloe Charming. When she meets her, Chloe shows her, "Oh, you don't have to be good or bad. You can find somewhere in between and just discover yourself."
If you were talking to someone who was just discovering the Descendants, what would you say to them to get them to be excited about this franchise?
It's a lot of singing and dancing. It's a really big production. It's so rare that you do a production where it's like, "damn, there's 300 dancers on set." This is a huge performance, a Super Bowl or something, where you have this volume of people creating this fantastical world of singing and dancing. I think it's just going to be such a fun watch for the music lovers out there. And it's no wonder that the franchise worked so well before, it is just truly such a killer concept. I think the descendants of iconic Disney fairy-tale characters and villains is just a concept that's evergreen, and people will always have a soft spot for that.
What was it like working with this cast, especially Brandy Norwood and Rita Ora?
Unreal. It's exactly that. If you're lucky enough to be in Brandy's presence, you can just feel that angelic aura, she's just so kind and truly such a star. Both of them. They're just global superstars. And I can't think of two better women to play these characters and to tell this story. They're so polar opposite in real life. I mean, obviously, they're both very, very kind in real life. I love Rita. I see her as a big sister more than a mom, for sure. She's very cool. But they just bring such different energies, they complement each other so well, and they have such great chemistry. It's going to be so cool for audiences to see them on screen.
Brandy as Cinderella was life-changing for me. It's kind of a gag that she's back as Cinderella.
Such a gag. We're taking everyone to gag-city with this one because literally it's so iconic. For the people that know, they know. And also Paulo [Montalban] coming back as well. We got to witness them reuniting for the first time in years, and they still have such a soft spot for each other. They just have the best chemistry.
For Disney people, you're either a villain person or a princess person. Where do you fall?
Well, funnily enough, I think I fall more in the princess category. Growing up, I think I was just always so obsessed with Disney princesses to the point where I literally changed my name to Jasmine [from Aladdin] for a good year. I was going around at parks introducing myself to other kids as Jasmine the princess. So, I definitely resonated with the Disney princesses probably more than the villains. But there's something so fun about playing a villain. There's more depth, there's more intrigue, and that was definitely what drew me to Red in the first place.
Disney certainly taps into nostalgia, and they're doing it with the Descendants franchise. What do you think it is about this Disney nostalgia that creates this excitement for a film like this?
The whole film is all built off of this nostalgia, having people go, "Wow, I connected with these characters when I was younger." I think that there's also something so special about origin stories. The idea of time travel, which is what the whole film is centered around. So seeing what the Queen of Hearts was like as a young kid and then now seeing how she is as a mom, it's taking these stories that are so iconic and familiar to people, but really expanding on them and giving it a whole new take and showing you a side that you wouldn't have necessarily known or have imagined until you see it. So I think Disney definitely honed in on the nostalgia factor with this film in particular.
You started as a child performer. Do you feel like you're maturing into more adult work?
Totally. I think the art I make is such a reflection of where I am in my life and what chapter I'm in. And I think that, subconsciously, falls into the characters I play and how I interpret characters based on where I'm at in my life. And with Red, I played it a bit darker. In a weird way, [Red is] one of the most mature characters I've played, which is funny because I'm literally wearing a red wig, and I looked like a doll. But I feel like it's quite a dark character for me because of where I'm at now [and] that kind of translated into how I interpreted the character and how I chose to play it. So yeah, I'm maturing, my art is maturing as well, and it's cool to see that reflected in the art I'm making and the projects I'm a part of.
In many ways your career started as a popular YouTuber. What sort of advice would you give to parents of young kids who want to post to YouTube?
With social media, you have to take it with a grain of salt. There is a risk factor in putting yourself out there for public display, to be judged, especially at a young age. I mean, I was 8 when I started that YouTube channel. And it was crazy that I started to build a following and build some momentum online. And it wasn't all just like roses, I think I did see some hate comments. That was the first time that I was like, "Oh, there's kind of a negative to this." I grew up watching YouTube, and I thought, "Oh, my God, this would be so fun to start a channel." And it was so fun, but there is that other side of it that's like, "Hmm, good to know, there is this aspect that comes with the territory." But also on the flip side of that, I think it trained me from such a young age to have thick skin and to know these people are judging me off of a fragment of what they see of me online. I think it set me up much more for the career I have right now and to continue to be able to sustain this with that mindset of, "Okay, what people say online, it doesn't affect me." I've been used to public scrutiny since I was young, even if it's just on a tiny level, people commenting on the gap I had in my teeth when I was younger, things like that. But it made me that much more tough. Also, my parents were so supportive. I grew up with a great support system around me that was constantly cheering me on. So I feel like that also helped to offset whatever was going on online. But yeah, it's a double-edged sword.
It really can set you up to have that thick skin. It can also go in a different direction.
I feel like it definitely does age you, in a good way, growing up in the industry. People are always like, "Oh, you seem so much older." I've been working long hours since I was 13 years old, working and being around adults. And I think you grow up so differently.
Having that work ethic is key when you want to do other things, like you're doing with your music. How does that work ethic impact the work you do beyond acting?
I think there's a certain discipline that comes with both. They help one another. I grew up as a dancer first. So that already establishes such a work ethic and discipline from a very young age. Being dropped off at dance class for seven hours a day and doing competitions nonstop, I think that set me up for being able to sustain working long hours on set, and then using that drive and work ethic, and it does help with my music and with everything. Just being able to stay motivated and stay excited. It definitely helped. The reason I'm where I am is because of me growing up that way.
What can people expect from the music you're making?
So much. I feel like I've lived a whole music career behind the scenes because I haven't put a ton out. But I have so many songs that I've written and recorded. I got signed to a label when I was 16, so pretty much from then I was in sessions all the time and really trying to figure out my sound. For any new artist, I think that they can relate to trying to discover yourself and what you want to say in your music and what you want it to sound like. That's shifted for me quite a bit. People haven't seen the drastic shifts because it's been behind closed doors, but I think that honestly has prepared me for what's to come. Now I finally am at a place where I really dialed in exactly on what I want to say what my sound is. Of course, that's going to evolve and change, but I understand that coming out the gate as an artist, you have to know exactly what you want to say and what you want it to sound like. I think I was able to figure that out over the last few years, and I'm just excited for people to hear what I have in store. Definitely later this year.
What do you see yourself doing in the next five to 10 years? What direction do you want to be going in your career? Like what's on your vision board for yourself?
I love that question. I feel like I'm already doing what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I know it's going to look different and the opportunities will look different but essentially, it is kind of a lot of what I'm already doing. I think I was so lucky enough to have figured out exactly what I want to do at such a young age and that's performing, singing, dancing, putting out music, acting, filming movies, I just want to continue to do that. I know it's going to look differently and my music will evolve and the kind of movies I'm making will evolve, but essentially it's all coming from the same place. I just want to continue to perform and make art and hopefully just continue to do it at a high level.
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A writer/comedian based in Los Angeles. Host of the weekly podcast Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott, every week H. Alan is joined by a different celebrity. Past guests include Tom Hanks, Keke Palmer, Melissa McCarthy, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Probst, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Idris Elba, Bette Midler, and many more. He also writes the Parting Shot portion of the magazine, the iconic last page of every issue. Subscribe to H. Alan's For the Culture newsletter, everything you need to know in pop culture delivered to your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. H. Alan has previously appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Ellen, CNN, MTV, and has published work in Esquire, OUT Magazine and VICE. Follow him @HAlanScott.
A writer/comedian based in Los Angeles. Host of the weekly podcast Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott, ... Read more
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