Our interview with Sofia Carson was one of the highlights of our trip. This young lady was so poised and well-spoken way beyond her young years. We asked her all about her return to the Descendants 2 set as Evie, and how her character has impacted children everywhere.

Returning to Descendants
It was surreal. The first “Descendants” was my first movie. It changed my life and I fell in love with Evie and loved being able to tell her story. We’ve become such a family and working with Kenny and everyone is just always a dream, so when we found out the sequel was green lit, we were just beyond thrilled. It was surreal to return to the characters and to tell their stories and see how they’ve evolved. The movie is just so much bigger in scope. It’s so epic and beautiful and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
The Love of Performing
Every time I go to sleep, I’m thinking about which aspect I’d choose out of acting, dancing and singing. I don’t remember a time where I didn’t just love performing. I was a little girl dressed as Belle or some Disney princess twirling around in my house singing, dancing and acting. I fell in love with performing. I’m so lucky that I get to do it all every day of my life and that I have roles like Evie, which give me the opportunity to sing, to dance and to act. I hope to do what I do for the rest of my life.

New Cast Members
It’s always an interesting dynamic because there was the four of us, the core four VKs, and they introduced these three new, awesome villains. From the very first day, Uma, Harry and Gil were always a part of the family and they really added such an incredible dimension to the film. They’re so cool and so wicked. Gil is hysterical. It was a perfect match.

A Different Side of Evie
You’ll see a different side of Evie because in the first film, when we met her, Evie was very much her mother’s daughter. She was very consumed in what she looked like and she was sadly willing to believe that her reflection in the mirror is what defined her as a person. At the end of the movie, she realized that as girls, our looks do not define us. That doesn’t make us more important or beautiful or special. It’s who we are in our hearts and to be the fairest of them all is to be fair inside.
In the second movie, Evie has really grown into herself. She is strong and independent. She’s smart. She’s a fashion designer. She has made her dream come true without a prince and she’s become a leader. At the same time, her best friend Mal, who is like her sister, is lost and really confused. Their relationship is really beautiful and important and it’s a story of girl power, which I love.
Evie and Doug’s Relationship
You’re going to be really happy with their relationship in this movie. They’re business partners. Doug, who’s really good with numbers is helping her organize the business side and the financials of it all. At the same time, they’re together and Evie’s so happy because Doug loves her just the way she is. She loves him for who he is and it’s a really beautiful, sweet relationship and he just adores her. He sees her and it’s the sweetest thing. He’s also the coolest guy.
The Impact That Evie Has on Fans
I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world with this film and to do press for it. No matter what country I go to, what city I go to, there’s a little girl dressed up as Evie. Whether she’s speaking Spanish or French or Portuguese, it’s so impacting to see how far this movie has traveled and how many lives, how many little girls it can impact. I’ve had a really beautiful experience.
I like to go to the Children’s Hospital as much as I can. My sister and I went to the hospital for Halloween and I was dressed as Evie. I met a young girl was suffering from sickle cell anemia and she spoke to me about Evie in ways that I never even knew and in dimensions that I had never even considered. Hearing what Evie taught her and how she felt connected to Evie was the most incredible experience and I think this is why we’re so lucky to do what we do. Yes, I get to dress up every day and sing and dance, but to be able to tell stories and have them impact young girls like that, that’s why I feel so lucky to do what I do.
Being a Role Model
Growing up, I was a typical daughter. I was obsessed with Beyonce, J-Lo, Lizzie McGuire, all these incredible female role models. I grew up with really incredible, strong women as my mother and grandmother, so strong female women were always an inspiration to me. I thought, “If I’m ever lucky enough to be able to do what I love, I want to be that inspiration for other little girls in everything that I do, everything that I say, every role that I take on and every song that I release. It’s very close to my heart to make sure everything I do has an empowering message for the 16 year-old daughter out there who I know is looking at me and who my actions could impact in some way. I just want them to know Evie’s message, which is that as girls, we can do anything and be anything and no one should stop us. I want them to know that the most important thing in the world is to be beautiful, but that beauty comes from our hearts.

On Being a Fashionista On Screen and Off
Oh my god, I love fashion! Growing up, I was always in my mom’s closet wearing her heels. All the girls of “Descendants 2” wear the same size in shoes and we like to borrow each other’s shoes. I love fashion and I always really want it to be a big part of my career. I love that Evie loves fashion and that she is the film’s fashion designer. I have so much fun with Kenny working on how to create Evie’s wardrobe.
In “Descendants 2,” he really wanted to see a lot of me in Evie’s wardrobe because I tend to gravitate towards things that are very feminine and classic, but with an edge, but always very classic. He wanted to see that in Evie and I love that so much. I love icons like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, just that sense of timeless, feminine fashion.
Descendants 2 movie premieres simultaneously on 5 Networks on Friday, July 21 (8:00 P.M EDT): Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform and Lifetime, plus on each Network’s branded digital platform.
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