Tia Carrere

Actress Tia Carrere talks 'Lilo & Stitch' live action movie, new music and more!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fun with Mario Lopez.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hie, Mario Lopez joining right now on Zoom actress in
two time Grammy winning singer Tia Carrera.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
How you doing, Tia, Hey, good good.

Speaker 3 (00:11):
I'm like a mess here, like I got construction go on,
I've got like wood, you know, blocks over here. I'm
like a general contractor and an actress in the biggest
movie in the universe right now.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, I know I saw you right before the movie
came out. Cut to it's now the biggest movie, the
live action Lelo.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
And Stitch film.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
I was just telling my wife, I've heard nothing but
great things about it.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
People actually getting emotional. How is this one different?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
H I brought the kids, man, you got to bring
the king.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh. I know, well, some of my kids have seen it.
The other ones haven't because we've been traveling. So we're
gonna we're gonna take them as a matter of fact
this weekend.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
But jeez, and you you're busy. I know, yeah, I know.
You were also in the original, but you're playing a
different character in this one.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yes, I played the older sister Nannie. I was the
voice in the cartoon, and now I'm playing missus kekoa
sort of the mentor to Nanny. So it's a great
full circle role as a woman. You know.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
That's awesome. And the original was back when it's been
a while, nineteen fifty seven.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
No, it was a two thousand and two I think
it came up.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Oh that's great. Yeah, it's crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah, twenty three years later.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Twenty three years later, that's onn I break into that.
And of course it takes place in Hawaii, where you
were born and raised.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
You got the film there, I'm assuming.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, I got to film in Hawaii. That's the best thing,
is like getting to go back home. You know. My
exit strategy is to end up back in Hawaii, you know,
opening my own you know, Peky bar and singing there
on Aloha Fridays. That's like the dream to me.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Oh that sounds awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
And I love the story you've told me before, but
I love the story that you It's like an old
school Hollywood story. You basically got discovered in a grocery
store in Waikiki, right, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
I was shopping. I was like seventeen, and I guess
I had just come from a modeling shoot, so I
had like full makeup and hair and like a garland
of flowers around my head. And producer's mother and father
came up to me and said, Donnia, gorgeous, you should
be in my son's movie. And that's how I got
my first movie, got a screen Actor's Guild card and everything.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
That's awesome.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, pretty trippy. I mean I could have been just
working in a hotel, you know, yeah, thing or asking
would you like fries? With that? Who knows? Well?

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Now you got another one coming out called The Last Resort,
a romantic comedy, right, what's it about.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yes, So Daisy Ridley is the lead with Alden Aaronrix.
So it's like she's in Star Wars. He's from Young
Hands Solo and they meet cute in the Philippines. So
I got to go to the homeland of my father
and it was they're looking she's looking for a property
to purchase for to add to her father's conglomerates, and

(02:46):
then she falls in love with the islands and falls
in love with the people and realizes that, you know,
happiness is not all you know, glitter and diamonds and
all that big life. You know, I love it's the
island life.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Oh good for you. Congrants on that and I know
you're two time Grammy winner as they introduced you. Any
chance you might be getting back in the studio.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
I was thinking about it. I've been going and touring
all around. I'm gonna be going on a tour with
Daniel Hall and uncle George Kahumok Junior soon, like in October,
going to Australia to do like a one off show
down there in Melbourne. I forget the name of the theater.
They're gonna kill me. But anyway, I don't be on
my social media. But yeah, so I'm just singing and

(03:28):
I have an idea for a record and some songs
I've been writing. So that's another part of me. It's like,
how many things can you do in a lifetime?

Speaker 1 (03:34):
All of them? I guess that's what I say. There
are no rules, good luck. That's awesome.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
And of course one of the most iconic roles was
Cassandra and the Wayne's World films. Right there, and I heard
you still own that red dress from the film, right, yes,
I do.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
I got to put in like a box so that
like the elastic doesn't keep degrading in the air. It
should be hermetically sealed. And you know something like that.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
That's awesome. I'd love love to hear it still fits.
That's good. Hey, that's even better. Well, congratulations on everything.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
I'll let you get back to your home repairs there
and everyone, Please for sure to catch to you in
the new live action Leelo and Stitch film, which is
in theaters right now.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Thanks for checking in.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Aloha, Thanks Mario for always having me on.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Oh you got it, sweety, Take care, Looha

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Bye with Mario Lopez