Early on, Dove Cameron has made it clear that she is not your typical Disney star. She rose to stardom as the star of the Disney show Liv and Maddie and even won an Emmy for her performance. At the same time, she ventured into music, forming her own band and launching her music career alongside several acting gigs (which may explain her estimated $3 million net worth).
Clearly, there is nothing that Cameron can’t do. And so, it comes as no surprise that she would also take on several projects outside of Disney at this time. That said, Cameron also continues to do work for Disney today and she’s never been shy to talk about what that’s like.
Her Involvement With Disney Goes Beyond Liv And Maddie
Almost a decade after the success of High School Musical, Disney was keen to start another hit teen franchise. This time, Descendants delve into a fantasy world that follows the lives of the children of various Disney villains as they attend prep school.
When it came to casting for the movie, Disney didn’t exactly have to look far. After all, there were a lot of established talent at that time, including Cameron. “Some of them have already proven it in that they’re doing work already or have done work that has shown they’re sought after and they’re sought after for a reason because they’re great,” director Kenny Ortega (who also helmed High School Musical) told Variety. “Booboo Stewart did the Twilight franchise and X-Men, and Dove Cameron and Cameron Boyce both star in their own television series on the Disney Channel.”
In Descendants, Cameron was cast to play Mal, the daughter of Maleficent (Kristin Chenoweth). The character is nothing like Liv or Maddie and that’s precisely why the young actress was excited to take it on. There was also an undeniable appeal to playing someone with a dark side. “I’ve always wanted to play darker characters, not that I don’t love playing my other characters that I have previously,” the actress explained while speaking with Laughing Place. “I think that there is something valuable to be found in every character that you although I do think playing darker characters sort of make you think about more, you know.” She also later added, “As a character who is darker, you have a responsibility to bring their more human aspects to the surface because otherwise they will be completely unrelatable.”
Meanwhile, Cameron may not have been used to doing musicals when she joined the cast but, in the end, she stepped up big time. “Dove went from being a none dancer [sic] to being able to attack the movement as ferociously as anybody in the room,” Ortega said while speaking with Whiskey + Sunshine. “And again, that takes not only focus and determination but a lot of bravery.”
As expected, Descendants was a success, so much so that Disney released a series and two other Descendants movies. Descendants 3 was supposed to mark the end of the franchise and by the time she worked on this, Cameron could feel that she had grown as a performer. “I would say that Kenny, as a performer, coaxed me out of my stuff I was hiding in and made me feel comfortable enough to think that the best of me was the most of me, if that makes any sense,” she told Digital Spy. “I definitely learned to feel safe in feeling very vulnerable and staying present and trusting my abilities.”
Here’s What She Said About Working For Disney
For Cameron, starting out with Disney was the best way to get her Hollywood career going when she was younger. “I always look at it as a really intense internship or four years of college,” the actress explained during an interview with Backstage. “It’s very much a space that is protected and cultivated, and within it, they want to make you your best and your shiniest.”
She also credited Disney for inspiring her to expand her horizons. They expect a lot, and I would not have learned my capabilities outside of a company like the Disney Channel, because they were constantly asking me to do more than I thought I knew how to do,” Cameron said. “It's something I’m very glad I did. It broke through a lot of beliefs I had about myself at an early age.”
At the same time, she also appreciates that Disney allows actors to explore various facets of its characters. “I think because we have the absolute luck of having Disney corporate, big overall Disney, grant us the permission to dip into, and mess with, the origin stories of historical characters, I do think that that land is very appealing to everybody,” Cameron said of the Descendants franchise. “It's why people love Disney in general, these big characters that they love so much.”
Fans can look forward to seeing Cameron reprise her role as Mal in the upcoming animated Disney special Descendants: The Royal Wedding. Meanwhile, outside of Disney, she is set to star in the upcoming series Powerpuff. At the same time, Cameron is also attached to two upcoming film projects (one of which also stars Ashton Kutcher). For now, fans can catch Cameron in the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon!.
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