There are so many reasons Kylie Cantrall is excited to be the lead in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red — but nothing beats the “insane” fact that she got to work alongside her childhood hero, Brandy.
“I feel like I may have manifested working with Brandy because of the fact that, I kid you not, I had a CD of her Never Say Never album in my dad’s old car that he had when I was growing up,” Cantrall, 19, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the musical’s Friday, July 12, release. “There’s, like, a little cassette in it. You could put CDs in there and I would just play that album every single time I got in the car on the way to school. I knew it front and backwards.”
Calling Brandy her “vocal bible” growing up, Cantrall said just getting to be in the singer’s “presence” was a really “special” and personal milestone. “My younger self was freaking out,” she gushed. “She’s so kind and just the most humble. It was so, so sweet.”
Rise of Red serves as the fourth film — and newest chapter — of the Descendants franchise. Cantrall stars as Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), while Brandy plays the iconic Cinderella. The film follows Red as she and Cinderella’s daughter, Chloe (Malia Baker), travel back in time in an attempt to undo the traumatic event that led the Queen of Hearts down a villainous path — and ended her years-long friendship with Cinderella.
While Ora, 33, plays the deliciously evil Queen, Cantrall said the actress/singer is nothing short of wonderful behind the scenes. The duo spent most of their time laughing, gossiping and snapping photos in between shots.
“She’s, like, the cool big sister I never had,” Cantrall said, recalling a particular scene where Red and the Queen travel to Auradon Prep together. “We had a couple days where we were filming that sequence and I just remember specifically us being in that car and, like, taking so many selfies. That was our really bonding moment, filming that scene, because we were all day on set together.”
Cantrall, as an upcoming singer and artist herself, also looked to Ora for advice, which the “Don’t Think Twice” singer was happy to share.
“She’s just so encouraging,” Cantrall told Us. “She would always just be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to make your dreams happen, never stop’ and just was super uplifting.”
Ora also didn’t hold back when discussing the really important topics, like boys.
“She’s like, ‘Darling, boys are a waste of time. Trust me they’re terrible at your age,” Cantrall recalled, laughing. “She just made the whole experience really, really fun. She’s great.”
If working with her childhood hero and getting advice from one today’s biggest artists wasn’t cool enough, Cantrall also got to step into Dove Cameron’s shoes as the new lead of the iconic Descendants franchise, films she grew up watching as a kid. The first Descendants film premiered on Disney in 2015, when Cantrall was only 10 years old.
“It feels surreal, especially because of the fact that I grew up loving the franchise. Like I caught it in its prime.I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know how to multiply, but I was just so obsessed,” she quipped. “I vividly remember coming home from school running across to my neighbor’s house and us both just like sitting in front of the TV the day that it premiered for the first time. And just being in awe of the dance numbers and the costumes and just the lore of Descendants. It’s just one of those movies that is timeless.”
Of course, carrying the torch of those that came before her is no small feat, and it’s a responsibility the actress took very seriously — and one that came with a fair amount of pressure.
“I’ll be the first to say the originals are perfectI don’t want to taint [them] in any way,” she told Us. “It’s already so good. So I think that was definitely a hurdle to get over.” Despite initial jitters, Cantrall noted that she’s now able to see things from a new perspective.
“I think like I’ve kind of shifted my mindset and of looking at it more as, we’re carrying it on in a new way, telling a new story while still capturing the essence of what made the original so special,” she explained.
For Cantrall, it’s about introducing the Descendants world to an entirely new generation of fans who can love the films as much as she did.
“That’s the coolest thing about being able to bring it back in this new way. To, hopefully, a new audience will find it and discover it for the first time,” she said. “And then it’ll inspire them to watch the old ones and just carry it on.”
There’s also carrying on the tradition of something Descendants has always done, which is to highlight the importance of girl power. Rise of Red takes things a step further, choosing to forgo any romantic love interests and focus solely on female friendship.
‘We don’t need a Prince Charming to come and save us,” Cantrall explained of the story choice. “That’s kind of the vibe right now just in general. I think it is such a cool reflection of the time we’re in. Girls can truly do anything.
“I just hope that inspires girls everywhere to be their own Prince charming,” she added. “And to just embrace every part of themselves.”
Descendants: The Rise of Red is on Disney+ now.
