Disney’s Lilo & Stitch didn’t have the best track record when the animation first premiered in 2002. White actress Daveigh Chase portrayed the titular Native Hawaiian character, Lilo. With the announcement of the live-action version, many fans were excited for Disney to rectify that mistake by casting Pacific Islander actors for the lead roles.
When Native Hawaiian actress Maia Kealoha was announced as Lilo, many celebrated the casting. Kealoha had the perfect look for the character and a cultural connection to the culture it’s based on. It was only when Hawaii-born Filipino American actress Sydney Agudong was revealed as Lilo’s older sister, Nani, that people began questioning her casting.
Many were concerned over the continued conversation surrounding Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) roles that didn’t fit the culture of the characters or story. There is also the idea of how light-skinned Agudong appeared in some photos, when Nani is considered a dark-skinned Native Hawaiian. However, some argue Agudong seems to be like many Southeast Asians who tan really well when exposed to the sun.
Lilo & Stitch director Dean Fleischer Camp understands how important representation and diversity are and has seen all the reactions to the casting.
“These are discussions that we have all the time,” Camp tells The Nerds of Color. “Personally, representation and diversity are important and have always been important and central to my work. It’s something I will always think about and consider for anything I make.”
He says they took great care in ensuring authenticity was addressed throughout filming, but clarified that Agudong had the best chemistry with Kealoha, who was the first to be cast in the film. The sisters’ relationship was the film’s heart, and Camp wanted to ensure it felt that way. Kealoha and Agudong truly felt like sisters, and when paired, they had the emotional trajectory to carry the film.
“When we saw them together, it felt undeniable right away,” Camp shares. “They really sparked and had amazing chemistry as sisters, which guided us towards the decision.”
He completely understands that many will be turned away from seeing the movie because of the casting, but he believes that once people watch it, they will see the connection and bond between Kealoha and Agudong.
“These two are absolute sisters now on and off-camera,” he says. “They will be for life. There was so much stuff where they were doing such sisterly stuff like fencing with their slippers when we were shooting a scene, and [I wanted to turn the camera on them]. This was so sweet.”
As for maintaining the authenticity of Hawaii, executive producer Jonathan Eirich says they filmed the entire movie in Hawaii, which he considers rare these days for Hollywood. They wanted to use Hawaiian crews and sets to keep it real.
“We bring as many people into our Ohana of the movie as [much] as possible,” Eirich says. “We were visitors there, and we were welcomed with open arms. We had so many consultants on every aspect of the movie.”
Hawaiian Screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright brought several ideas into the story, including creating the character of TuTu (Amy Hill) because neighbors and the communities in Hawaii are included in “Ohana.” It doesn’t mean just blood relatives. It’s much more than that.
“Like Dean said, there’s no one decision in a vacuum,” says Eirich. “It’s just how many partners can we bring into this film to make it as authentic as possible?”
Camp says it would be a disservice not to put an effort into the culture’s factuality because they want to make the film feel real (despite it being mixed Sci-Fi). Camp says, “There’s such a rich cultural history, and there are so many themes and ideas within that culture that are so ingrained and dovetail beautifully with the story of the film. Even our prep and production offices were there because we knew that would make us better storytellers and informed the process along.”
Check out the interview below:
