Meet Kylie Cantrall: Teen TikTok Star Dominating Disney’s ‘Descendants’

Kylie Cantrall vividly recalls the excitement surrounding Disney’s musical movie “Descendants” when it premiered in 2015. At the time, she hosted a watch party with her best friend, marking a memorable tween-girl bonding experience.

“It was all the rage in fourth grade,” Cantrall reminisces. “The minute ‘Rotten to the Core’ came on, I was in. I wanted to be a VK. They’re so cool.”

Now, nine years later, and with two seasons of a Disney Channel sitcom and 6.5 million TikTok followers under her belt, Cantrall, 19, is living her dream. She stars as Red, the Queen of Hearts’ daughter, in “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” now streaming on Disney+.

In this fourth installment of the franchise, the rebellious Red is invited to Auradon Prep, a much nicer place than her Wonderland home and the school where all the coolest Disney fairy-tale characters attend. However, when the Queen of Hearts (played by Rita Ora) stages a dastardly coup, Red must travel back in time with Cinderella’s daughter Chloe (Malia Baker) to stop the prank that turned her once-positive mom (Ruby Rose Turner) evil.

Cantrall shines in the opening song “Red” and even gets to be an action hero. “They have my number. I’m ready for my Marvel movie,” she jokes. Cantrall previously starred as an alien-babysitting teen on the Disney series “Gabby Duran & The Unsittables” and played a singing cheerleader in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”

She sees her character Red as a role model. “She doesn’t have to be a villain like her mom; just because she was born into it doesn’t mean she has to follow that path,” Cantrall says of Red, the first Disney princess with a nose ring. “We should empower girls to create their futures and destinies and not wait around for anyone to tell them what they should or shouldn’t be.”

Getting into character didn’t fully happen for Cantrall until she donned Red’s leather jacket and bright wig. “It’s so camp. We’re all dressed as highlighters, so bright and so crazy,” she adds, noting that her nose isn’t pierced in real life. “I don’t know if I, as Kylie, can pull that off as much as Red can.”

Growing up, music, and dance were natural parts of Cantrall’s life. Her mom is a dancer/choreographer, and her dad is a producer/songwriter, making performing “in the blood from the beginning,” says the actress who has been dancing since she was 2. “Literally the day after I got potty trained, my parents were like, ‘Put her in dance class.'”

Her musical journey began early, too. At age 5 and 6, she was writing songs and spending time in her dad’s studio. “I would be watching him in the booth, and I wanted him to record me next,” Cantrall says.

A notable influence on Cantrall’s music career is her “Rise of Red” co-star Brandy, who reprises her title role from the 1997 Disney movie “Cinderella.” Cantrall listened to Brandy CDs on her way to elementary school and believes she manifested working with her. “She exceeded my expectations,” Cantrall says, calling Brandy incredible and a kind human. Brandy, Janet Jackson, and Aaliyah have all influenced Cantrall’s music, and she’s currently preparing a debut album of “danceable” pop/R&B tracks. “I’m just excited for people to hear it.”

Balancing her online and offline life has been a challenge for the young star. Cantrall has maintained a significant Internet presence since she was 8, starting with her “Hello Kylie” YouTube show, and more recently through her “10 Minute Song” challenges on social media. In these challenges, she turns three words from fans into a song. “I’ve grown so much as a songwriter over the past year,” she says, although admitting that not all attempts are successful. “I only post the ones that turn out OK.”

With “Rise of Red” now released, Cantrall’s online activity has increased. She’s been tagged in numerous fan edits and videos related to the movie’s songs. “Then you get the other side that’s like the negative comments and scrutiny of it,” Cantrall notes. She’s working on setting boundaries to avoid getting overwhelmed by social media. “It’s all about balance, and I’m still trying to figure out when to put the phone down,” she says. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in it and go on a deep dive.”

Source: USA TODAY