One of Disney’s best pairs of siblings is getting the live-action treatment with Maia Kealoha and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong inLilo & Stitch. Kealoha is making her acting debut in the Disney remake by starring as the titular young protagonist, staying true to the movie’s Hawaiian roots by being a Native Hawaiian herself. Agudong, older sister toResident Evilalum Siena Agudong, also finds herself in one of her most high-profile roles yet in the film, playing older sister Nani, having previously co-starred in everything from the rom-comInfamously in Loveto appearances in Netflix’sOn My Block.
The live-actionLilo & Stitchcenters on the titular young girl who is being raised by her young adult older sister in the wake of their parents' death from a car accident. As her loneliness leads to more behavioral problems, and Nani recognizes her need for a friend, Lilo adopts the eponymous creature, not knowing it to be a rambunctious alien experiment, and while they welcome him into their family, they must protect Stitch from both the federal and galactic governments. Also starring Chris Sanders as Stitch, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen and Courtney B. Vance,Lilo & Stitchis garnering positive reviewsfrom critics.
In anticipation of the movie’s release,ScreenRantinterviewed Maia Kealoha and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong to discussLilo & Stitch. The pair opened up about their favorite parts of the live-action remake, including the return of a few familiar faces, as well as what it was like working with the stand-in puppet for the titular alien, and why their sisterly bond is so important to the movie’s emotional core.
Kealoha & Agudong Found It “Really Easy To Connect” With One Another
“How Do You Not Love Her?”
While all eyes were on how the live-action design of Stitch would turn out in the film, one of the most importantelements forLilo & Stitchto recreate isthe bond between Lilo and Nani, with the latter’s love for her younger sister often tested by both having to be her legal guardian, and the former’s rebellious attitude. In reflecting on how they went about capturing that dynamic, both Kealoha and Agudong agreed it was “actually really easy to connect” to each other, with the young star also describing her co-star as being “kind of a softy”.
She is Lilo!
Agudong also went on to point out that when one works “so closely with your co-stars”, it leads to them “learning a lot about each other”,while also brightly beaming to Kealoha, “How do you not love her?”. This happiness also poured over into their scenes interacting with Stitch, which Kealoha described as being “amazing” and Agudong recalled her young co-star “fell in love with him from the start”. Agudong also recalled Kealoha having “screamed” when she first saw the stand-in puppet, which Kealoha described as being “so cute”, and that her “lips turned black because of his nose” from interacting with it so much.
OG Lilo & Stitch Fans Will “Get That Same Magic” From The Remake
Working With Tia Carrere Was Also “Really Meaningful” For Agudong
Though the movie has largely assembled a new roster of stars,theLilo & Stitchcastdoes feature a few familiar faces from the original movie,namely that of original Nani actor Tia Carrere appearing as Mrs. Kekoa, the social worker supervising Nani’s guardianship of Lilo. Both Kealoha and Agudong found it “amazing” to get to work with one of the original stars of the franchise, with the latter also recalling how she “really wanted to have a conversation” with Carrere before she was even cast in the remake.
“She did create such an iconic version of Nani that I wanted to make sure I was doing my due diligence on that end,” Agudong explained. “And getting to speak with her was such a blessing, and she instantly made me feel comfortable and free, and gave me that passing of the generations, and that blessing to kind of explore my own avenue as an artist. That was really, really meaningful to me.”
Kealoha also recalled being very excited to work with Amy Hill playing Tūtū, which means “grandma in Hawaiian”, as she explained. Hill is another returning star for the franchise,having previously played fruit stand owner Mrs. Hasagawa in both the original movie and its TV spinoff, now playing the Pelekais' long-time neighbor and David’s grandma, who is one of the new creations for the remake. Kealoha beamed as she described it being “beautiful acting with everyone” in the film.
Between the cast and the recreations of some of the movie’s iconic sequences, with Kealoha humorously recalling “the Hawaiian rollercoaster ride wasn’t always perfect”, both she and Agudong assure that audiences are going to “get the highs and lows from the original” and “that same magic” ofLilo & Stitch, but thatthe remake will also let fans “go deeper” with its characters and story.
More About Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Lilo & Stitch, the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. A live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated classic, Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind the animated feature film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, with a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, and stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha. The film is produced by Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a. and Dan Lin, with Tom Peitzman, Ryan Halprin, Louie Provost, and Thomas Schumacher serving as executive producers.
