A Moment with...Dove Cameron

You just came off an off-Broadway run as Cher in the Clueless musical. Tell us more!

Cher is such a delightfully, deceptively complex character, and she’s such a beautiful soul. [Playing her] felt like taking history and bringing it back to life again. To be able to meddle in that world was really such a unique experience.

We hear that Alicia Silverstone, who originated the role in the film, came to see the show. Were you aware that she was in the audience?

Somebody told me, because they didn’t want me to leave the theater right after the show. I thought I was going to be chill, but then I saw her out in the audience. She didn’t look a day older than she was when she starred in the film. She was smiling with her son and a friend, and I just lost it! I got super emotional, which surprised me.

And then, you met her backstage…

I was nervous. She was so kind—she loved the show, and she said she loved my performance. She also said she and her son have been fans of my Disney work, which was mind-numbing.

How fashion-y are you?

I would like to say I am very fashion-y! [Laughs] My parents were jewelry designers in India, so I grew up around showrooms and marble cutleries. I’ve always been interested in fashion, but I’m very simple. I wear minimal jeans with a white T-shirt.

Any favorite designers?

My all-time favorite is Valentino, because it’s so classic, romantic, and girly. I shop a lot at Politix in Los Angeles—I love really strange, unique pieces.

You have 23 million followers on Instagram!

I feel so genuinely detached from the whole [concept] of followers. I know that we’re all used to it at this point, but our society today is strange. It’s not necessarily bad or good, but it’s strange to be one person with so many eyes [on you]. And some people have so many more than me! I don’t know why they follow me, but I love humans— that’s the whole reason I got into this. It’s wonderful to be exposed to and connected to so many humans.

What’s the rest of your year like?

My film Dumplin’ is out now on Netflix. It has such a great message. I’m headed straight to Los Angeles to work on my music, because I just signed with Sony. I’ve got my first four singles lined up, and now we have to do videos, create an album, and start promoting it, which is so much more work than I would’ve thought. I’m also going to London in the summer to do The Light in the Piazza in the West End with Renée Fleming. It will be my London theatrical debut. I’m playing Clara Johnson, who is like my ultimate ingenue—it’s my favorite role and my favorite show. And then I will be back to promote Descendants 3, the last of my Disney franchise, and we’re going to go on a world tour for that to Tokyo and India and all those places, which will take up a lot of time. It’s going to be a good year!