Sofia Carson: A Career Study

From Disney darling to studio headliner, the rapidly rising career of pop star-come-actress Sofia Carson shows the importance of career progression 

Sofia Carson in Tini: The Movie (CREDIT: Everett Collection)

                     by Jack Linsdell

Sofia Carson has had a remarkable year by anyone's standards. For most actors, 2020 has been one of the worst years yet because a global pandemic basically put a halt on the theatrical film industry for months. But, for Carson, the pandemic-related disruptions have actually benefited her. In a cruel sense of irony, Carson's Netflix original feature Feel The Beat became a bigger event on the streaming platform because more folks were at home. And, the pandemic was solely responsible for inspiring the screenplay for the Michael Bay-produced pandemic thriller Songbird which is essentially a two hander between Carson and KJ Apa. So, all in all, 2020 has been THE year for Carson, taking her from Disney darling to headliner of the studio programmer. 

Like many young actresses, Carson was arguably "made" or "found" by Disney. That came in 2015 with a key role as Evie, daughter of Evil Queen, in Descendants. The Kenny Ortega-directed and choreographed fantasy musical flick literally became the next High School Musical hit for the Disney channel. With 6.6 million viewers on it's premiere night, it had already become the fifth most watched original movie in cable history, which has obviously gone up since. However, unlike co-star Dove Cameron who already had some variation of an acting career before 2015 (starring in several Disney channel features and shows including Cloud 9 ironically produced by Ashley Tisdale), Carson's first gig was Descendants. On a quick side note, Cameron's supporting turn in the terrific Hailee Steinfeld-led action comedy Barely Lethal is a guilty pleasure. 

Anyway, like all successful original movies, we got a sequel. In 2017, with Oretga and the same cast returning, Descendants 2 became the very definition of a break out sequel. It smashed the 2015 flick's premiere night viewership figures with a whopping 8.92 million - still a record today. Although Descendants 3 was given terrible reviews and "only" garnered 4.59 million viewers on premiere night, the trilogy still became Disney's biggest success outside of theatrical release since High School Musical. And, it took Carson from unknown aspiring actress, to world famous star with a huge online and social media fanbase. 

The success of the first Descendants movie turned 2016 into a busy year for Carson. She had a scene-stealing supporting turn in the Spanish drama Tini: The Movie which was made under the Spanish arm of Walt Disney banner and then headlining The Adventures of Babysitting alongside Sabrina Carpenter which attracted 3.45 million viewers on premiere night. And, importantly, she also sung on that film's end credits song with Carpenter too. In the same year, Carson also joined the likes of Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez and Lucy Hale in taking on the coveted lead role in A Cinderella Story series. Look, Duff's 2004 original is nothing short of an underrated masterpiece I'll admit and a film you must check out. However, none of the resulting and stand alone sequels are A) as good and B) of quality worth noting anyway. But, Carson is the best part of 2016's A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits and although I wouldn't recommend the film itself, you can see how far Carson was developing as an actress. 

So, that brings us to 2020. In the summer, Carson undertook her first major lead role in the dance comedy-drama Feel The Beat. No, the film was only three-star entertainment at best, and although it had a lot of heart and was well intentioned, the end product wasn't as enjoyable as it should have been. Ironically, Sabrina Carpenter's dance flick Work It (which was also her first major lead role) released two months later was so much better. Anyway, regardless of the film's quality, Carson was one of the highlights of the film, a common theme that tells us if she can only choose the best projects to be a part of, then she'll be hitting the ground running. As a Netflix release, Feel The Beat became a bigger "event" for folks as everyone was at home watching Netflix this year due to the pandemic. The fact is, Carson's first major lead role may not have been seen as much by audiences had the pandemic not kept everyone at home.

Also this year, Carson landed a key role in the Michael Bay-produced pandemic thriller Songbird. Not only did the film get the distinction of being the first major production to resume/start filming since the initial lockdown in March, but it also was going to see Carson's first ever theatrical release. As it happens, Songbird has since been shifted to a VOD release in early 2021, but surprise surprise hey? Anyway, Songbird is essentially a two-hander between Carson and Riverdale star KJ Apa, featuring a stacked cast of (deep breath) Bradley Whitford, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Walter Hauser and Demi Moore. It's extremely topical nature and politically relevancy, not to forget that extremely sellable hook "a COVID-19 pandemic film shoot during COVID-19!" will make Songbird a very popular release I'm sure. It also marks a distinct change of role for Carson, moving away (at least temporarily) from the family-friendly flicks and Disney romances into hard-edged, adult thrillers. The trailer looks damn good and so does Carson. 

Finally, it was announced two weeks ago that Carson has already found her next project. Alloy Entertainment have tapped Carson to headline a romantic "star crossed lovers" flick based on a popular YA novel alongside yet another Riverdale star - this time, Charles Melton. Titled Purple Hearts, this sees Carson taking the romance and feel good elements from her early Disney career and combining it with the sophistication and more adult performances she's been giving lately. Carson will also write and perform on the film's soundtrack, following those like Hailee Steinfeld in combining their successful singing careers with their acting roles. 

Anyway, for most actors, 2020 has been a terrible year. Release dates have been pulled, delayed or postponed for theatrical releases. Even those that have stuck with their date have ended up on the small screen via a PVOD release. And, that's not mentioning the delay of production on countless movies and shows, and even those that are allowed to shoot are very different in their nature due to COVID procedures. However, 2020 has unusually been a very good and beneficial year for Carson, taking her from Disney darling to rising headline movie star. She's a good actress with tonnes of charmisa and talent and is certainly one to watch going forward. Although unlikely to be as prolific to her career progression as this year, I'm excited to see what 2021 bring Sofia Carson.