Starring in a beloved franchise’s fourth instalment is no easy feat, but Kylie Cantrall was up for the challenge. Stepping into the role of Red in Descendants’ latest offering, The Rise of Red, she set her main goal as a simple, yet daunting, one: to do it justice and not let the loyal fans down. And if the Disney+ view counts and viewer reactions are any indication, she accomplished that and much more.
Balancing the character’s fiery side with her compassion and emotional vulnerability, she approaches Red’s villainous tendencies through the lens of her upbringing, highlighting the ways in which her childhood impacted how she moves through the world. The rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, she sets off to Auradon Prep for a school year unlike any we’ve ever experienced — one full of time travel, meddling, and attempts to undo her mother’s traumatic past and put an end to her longstanding grudge against Cinderella.
For Cantrall’s own upbringing, the actress got a jumpstart in the creative industries. “I literally grew up in the business,” she tells Wonderland as we discuss Descendants: The Rise of Red and the journey that has led the star to the titular role. “I was that little kid in the back of the room asleep on the couch just absorbing everything.” From accompanying her producer and choreographer parents to sets, studios, and rehearsals to making the spaces her own, Cantrall is tackling the music and film industries side-by-side, proving unstoppable at every step of the way. Here, she talks to Wonderland about balancing the facets of her career, connecting with Descendants’ Red, and what’s to come.
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Hi Kylie, thanks so much for chatting with us. And welcome to Wonderland — again. How are you? What have you been up to recently?
Hi! I’m so excited to talk with you. I’ve been wonderful these days but really busy promoting the Descendants movie. The madness started about a month before the premiere and will continue for a month or two after. So, that means interviews with press, magazines, talk shows and any place that will allow me to perform the songs from the soundtrack. But I’m having a blast 🙂
How was your creative upbringing? Did you always know you wanted to be an actress? When and how did things start for you?
I had an interesting childhood because both of my parents are in the entertainment business so that meant I was shuffled from a recording studio, with my producer Dad, then to a dance studio with my choreographer Mom. I literally grew up in the business, I was that little kid in the back of the room asleep on the couch just absorbing ‘everything.’ And it’s amazing how much it helped me to understand the process and how the glamorous part of show business isn’t a “reality,” the reality is the sweat it takes to make performance appear effortless.
You come from a very established background in music as a singer and songwriter. How do you balance both crafts, and how do you reflect on your artistic development from your early days until now?
I always tell everyone my first love was music. My oldest memories are going to the studio with my dad, and I knew that if I stayed till the end of the session, I would get my chance to record after the artist left. My dad would find a small table to drag into the recording booth so I could stand on it to reach the microphone.
When did you first hear about this project, and what about it made you interested in this role?
Disney approached me about this project a year earlier, but I passed because I was in the middle of promoting a single called “Sad Boy” featuring Ava Max, so I was really in music mode and thought I had to remain focused on promoting the single. But Descendants was pushed back a year and when the opportunity presented itself again, I was 100 percent in. I knew how big the franchise was, and I was a giant fan of the previous films. I thought, ‘when I will ever have the chance to do these enormous performance numbers again?’ I literally jumped at the opportunity to bring Red to life.
How was your auditioning process? And how did you prepare for this role?
I remember reading the full script for the very first time. I was in my bedroom and my dad was on the couch in his office, every 10 minutes we’d yell down the hall “OMG it’s so good… I love it.” It just felt like such a perfect fit I knew there wouldn’t be much preparation because I just connected with Red and thought I could bring so much of my own personality to the character and fortunately Disney agreed.
How has the reaction been so far to the release?
Wow, everyone has been so positive and my whole goal was to not let down the fans of the original three. To be honest, I made up my mind to do this franchise justice and I think the fact that Descendants 4 is breaking viewer records on Disney+ means I did my job, haha!
Red is rebellious and feisty, and we meet her at a moment when she’s very much on a self-discovery journey. Tell us a bit about your relationship with this character, and how do you connect with her most?
I loved the challenge taking on the role of Red. Red has a lot of complexities to her given that she’s both “villain” and “hero” and I loved that she gets a chance to show both of those sides. In one scene she’d be very cold and the next, she’s emotional and then she’s jumping off rooftops doing parkour. I think it’s the two worlds that I was connected to, it reminded of how I was going to school in the morning and off to set to shoot Descendants in the afternoon! “The best of both worlds” – Oh yeah, I just quoted Hannah Montana.
What about Red was most challenging for you to translate on screen? And what’s your favourite thing about her?
I guess I was nervous about the villain aspect because I wanted Red to have a fiery side but still come across lovable. The audience has to understand that Red wants to be a hero, it’s just that her upbringing has brought on a number of challenges and she’s probably only acting out to get the attention of her mother. Even if it is for all of the wrong reasons… we all know how teenagers can be.
How was sharing screen time with the iconic Rita Ora? Do you have any favourite memories on set?
I was so excited to be working alongside such an icon. I had been following her music career, so I was a bit starstruck when we first met but she started off the conversation with “hello, Daughter” in that sweet British accent and that immediately melted my heart. Rita also gave me some great “boy” advice, but I don’t know if I should really share what she said… it might be a little too much tea!
Looking from the outside, it seems like you had such a fun time filming Descendants. Did this on-screen bond also translate to real life? Did you make strong connections during this process?
It’s always a bit cliché when someone says “my cast and I are like family” but let me tell you in this case it’s so true. This cast is very supportive of one another and on set we were just all constantly hyping each other up. But I really built a special bond with my costar Malia (Chloe). We were so giggly and cuddly with each other that it often made it difficult to film those scenes in the movie where we don’t like each other. There was one part in the “fight of our lives” scene where we put our foreheads together and look intensely into each other’s eyes and I think we must’ve done a hundred takes of that because we couldn’t help but break into laughter every time.
Moving forward, what are some other characters you dream of playing? And are there any new projects in the pipeline you can share with us?
Right now, I’m focusing on music. I’m excited about getting my album out before the end of the year ends but I wonder what adventures Red will find herself in… only time, or time travel, will tell.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is available to watch on Disney+.