Creative Chaos: A Born Perfectionist

Born Sofia Car, she took her stage name from her American grandmother, Lauraine Carson, as a tribute. Her name first graced our screens in Disney’s Descendants, which debuted in 2015 and has since grown into a four-movie franchise—still Disney’s most successful to date, a decade later.

Carson reached global recognition, from her work as a UNICEF ambassador to giving interviews in Spanish and French, putting her UCLA minor and love of languages to use. Growing up in a bilingual household, it was natural for her to become trilingual. Mastering language is not her only skill—she studied various dance styles for 17 years, including pointe, flamenco, and modern contemporary. We see this training on display in Netflix’s Feel the Beat, which tells the story of a dancer whose dream of making it big in New York is put on hold when she’s forced to move back home and teach at the studio that once shaped her discipline. This is one of my favorite roles I’ve seen Carson take on—partly because of my own love for dance growing up.

Purple Hearts

When she steps into a role, she draws inspiration from classic icons like Audrey Hepburn and modern marvels like Angelina Jolie. Since her theatrical debut as Dorothy in her local theater’s production of The Wizard of Oz, she has been determined to dive deeper into every role she takes on as an artist. Her first executive producing credit, Purple Hearts, was more than a success—it became Netflix’s most successful soundtrack to date and the most popular soundtrack of all time. It’s no surprise, considering Carson co-wrote and performed the music herself. In every song, you can feel how she pours her heart into each melody and lyric, complementing her heartfelt portrayal of Cassie—a character as authentic as they come.

Cassie was the first character Carson helped develop from start to finish, and she wanted her to stand out in every way possible. One subtle but meaningful choice was keeping Cassie’s hair tucked away from her face during emotional scenes. Carson wanted nothing to distract from the depth of emotion, ensuring that the audience focused entirely on the character’s expressions and inner life. It’s this attention to detail that Carson hopes viewers carry with them after watching Purple Hearts.

Not only has Carson’s acting continued to gain critical acclaim, but she has also firmly established herself in the music industry. In 2015, she signed with Hollywood Records and released her self-titled album Sofia Carson, which showcases her impressive vocal range and encourages listeners to speak up when necessary, while embracing the full spectrum of life— love, heartbreak, and everything in between. My personal favorites from the album are “Loud,” “Stay,” and “Still Love You.”

Carson has confirmed she is working on her next album, which will feature some ska influences. I’m sure she’ll draw inspiration from her latest film projects, her relationships, and the many gifts life has granted her.

Netflix

Netflix and Sofia Carson are always a match made in heaven. The first time I saw Carson on Netflix was in 2020 with the release of Feel the Beat—a story about a dancer chasing her dream in the Big Apple, only to be reluctantly pulled back to her hometown and the problems she thought she’d left behind. Watching it instantly transported me back to my years of dance, along with all the emotions I had tucked away.

I especially appreciated that this film came out during the pandemic, a time when so many of us were reflecting on the past. For me, it allowed a quiet moment to finally grieve my dance teacher, who had passed the year before, but whose loss I had never fully processed. Carson pours such deep emotion into every scene, and the cast—Lydia Jewett, Justin Caruso Allan, Donna Lynne Champlin, and Sarah Abbott—command your attention each time they speak or dance.

Netflix: My Oxford Year, The Life List, Carry On

I have yet to see any movie with Carson that doesn’t leave me wanting to be a better version of myself and learning something new about myself. Her last three Netflix films have all moved me, as cliché as that sounds. My Oxford Year reminded me that we can make all the plans in life we want and give them a timeline, but any and all factors can and will change at any given moment.

The Life List made me want to hug my mom more than ever and also to just do the scary things we want because they might not end up being so scary. Lastly, from Carry On, I am reminded what true love looks like and what it means to protect the ones you love, especially when we are scared as hell. She is one of the actresses that we won’t get every generation, so we need to take advantage of seeing any film, big or small, we need to support.  She reminds us that life is scary, but with the right people and motivation, we can carry on with the lists we create in life and not limit ourselves to time.