Disney’s Lilo & Stitch’s Sydney Agudong talks about her experience, the reception from her hometown, dealing with the critics, and what she hopes for in the sequel.
“Happy Sydney Elizebeth Agudong Day!”
“I feel like I have impostor syndrome all over again,” Agudong says, completely surprised at the proclamation. “What the heck!? [laughs] It’s really cool to have my last name on there, though.”
While the 24-year-old actress may be between the islands of Oahu (for work) and Kaua’i, she considers Kaua’i her true home. Born and raised in Kauaʻi, Hawaii, she has been described by several residents as a “daughter of Kaua’i,” as she and her family have been an active part of the community for many years. She was involved with the Hawaiʻi Children’s Theatre on Kauaʻi and returned many times to speak to the children involved.
Throughout our conversation, we’re interrupted by several residents who know Agudong, who greet her as if she were family. She apologizes to me each time, telling me snippets of their relationship, “They’ve known my dad for a long time,” “I grew up with their daughter,” and so forth. Although the population of the island of Kaua’i is over 73,000, everybody seems to know each other, or at least, three or four degrees of separation.
It’s why when she was cast as Nani in the live-action remake of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, she received non-stop messages of congratulations and support from almost everyone from Kaua’i. She’s grateful for all the love she’s received from her community and abroad.
“I’ve just been able to enjoy the win with everybody,” she shares. “It means everything in the world [to me]. It feels like everything is possible – like the cliches are real. I feel like it doesn’t matter where you are, how small or big the island is, or not, it all comes down to your upbringing and the fact that I have the community, the culture, and my family surrounding me.”
Agudong was amazed at the positive reception of the film, and heard whisperings from the creatives and cast, but nothing was confirmed until a few days before our conversation. She had heard the news while promoting a swim show and was speaking to one of the local news outlets about it. As she was about to participate in the interview, she was asked if they could talk about Lilo & Stitch. She didn’t think much about it, but was then told that the sequel had been confirmed.
“They were like, ‘what’s new?’ she laughs, recalling the story. “I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ Then all of a sudden, the Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter news dropped. They were all sent to me. This is set in stone! That’s printed! We’re doing it! Let’s go!”
Although the film was successful, audiences raised several criticisms regarding the changes made to the story. There were discussions on Nani’s story arc, the vilification of Dr. Jumba Jookiba, and how “Ohana” is defined.
Agudong is very aware of the conversations that were talked about because she knows “change is scary,” but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. She was a bit nervous reading the script and auditioning because she was a fan of the 2002 animation. But after reading the script, she understood the purpose of these changes.
“I felt like I understood where Nani’s heart was,” she says. “I understand sacrifices that way, and I wanted to pay homage and tribute to those types of people who were in my life. Being an older sister and seeing that, I almost felt like I wanted to do this as a love letter to my sister.”
Every time her co-star, Maia Kealoha, who played Lilo, is mentioned, Agudong comments how much she loved her.
