Elegant costumes. Nostalgic villains. Original songs. A star-studded cast. New familial rivalries and the return of Auradon. Descendants: The Rise of Red is the fourth installment in the popular franchise, and will hit your screens on Disney+ on July 12. Before the film’s release, we got to chat with some of the actors including Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Dara Reneé, Morgan Dudley, and Ruby Rose Turner, to learn more about each of their characters and what they learned from one another as actors.

Descendants: The Rise of Red follows Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, played by Rita Ora, and Chloe, the perfectionist daughter of Cinderella, played by Brandy Norwood. When the Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, the polar opposite Red and Chloe must join forces to stop her. The film features dedicated acting performances and special chemistry between the characters that was first formed off camera.

Kylie Cantrall: “I think ‘Life is Sweeter’ [the song] really encapsulates that kind of the vibe.”

You may already recognize many of these actors from previous works. Kylie has built up a large following on social media and was in Gabby Duran & the Unsittables and season four of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She is reunited with Dara, who was also a recurring character on HSMTMTS as Kourtney Greene. Malia is known for The Baby-Sitters Club and Are You Afraid of the Dark and has multiple upcoming projects. Morgan is from The Prom and A Tourist’s Guide to Love and Ruby has a large presence on TikTok and can be seen in episodes of Black-ish and Fuller House. With each of their projects, each of these actors have grown in confidence and you can see that shine through on screen in Descendants: The Rise of Red. 

We got the cast members together to test their friendship and were blown away by their energy and joy when describing the film. Each of them said they learned acting tips and life lessons from one another. For example, Malia said she learned to watch her takes back from Kylie to make sure she’s happy with her performance, and Ruby said she learned about method acting from Dara, who fully embodied her character Uliana. 

Malia Baker: “Kylie [Cantrall] does a really insightful job of making sure she’s happy with her performance and that she knows what she is putting out into the world.”

Ruby Rose Turner: “My girl [Dara] went a little method. Her whole dressing room, her whole hotel room, the place she was staying at was [her character] Uliana themed.”

We also had some fun asking the actors to describe each other’s characters in three words. There were some heartfelt answers and some very honest and straightforward answers, and all of them shared laughs over each other’s descriptions.

Morgan Dudley: “It was so easy to build chemistry off of Ruby and find what it means to be a bestie.”

Kylie and Malia raved about some of their favorite Disney Channel original movies including Teen Beach Movie, Camp Rock and High School Musical and hopes audiences and fans feel that nostalgia and love for Descendants: The Rise of Red. 

Dara Reneé: “The hard work and dedication that they have put into their craft on and off screen by just not only being a pleasure to work with but being the talent that they hold daily has truly been a blessing to be here and witness it.”

Thank you, Kylie, Malia, Dara, Ruby, and Morgan for chatting with Young Entertainment. Follow them on their Instagram’s at @kyliecantrall, @maliabakermsb, @dararenee, @morgandudley, and @rubyroseturner. Watch the rest of their interviews to see the chemistry between the cast ahead of the film’s release. Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment.

Consider this: 

• Method acting is a technique actors use to empathize with their characters emotionally. The actor essentially “becomes” the character and remains in that role for an extended period of time. 
• Looking at your co-stars outside eye while acting makes it look like you are more in frame and closer to the camera. It is a technical acting technique but something to think about when filming.
• Watch your takes back after filming. This will help you grow as an actor and in confidence, and to see what you need to improve on to make sure you are fully happy with your performance.