The Untold Truth Of Sofia Carson
You may know Sofia Carson from her start on the Disney channel show Austin & Ally, where she played the character Chelsea back in 2014. This TV series really kickstarted the more visible portion of her show business career. Since then, Carson has gone on to star in plenty of other shows and movies, including The Perfectionists and Descendants. She even sings and releases music. It's probably pretty safe to say that you've heard of the actress and singer at least once or twice before.
However, you may not know some of the more intriguing facts about the young star. For instance, her family ties are rather interesting, and Carson is also no stranger to making it through some difficult moments. Perhaps she draws on these details to help her acting career? Regardless, there are some fascinating and even quite relatable facts about Sofia Carson's life that you will want to know.
Sofia Carson is not her real name
You read that right: Sofia Carson is not actually her real name. Carson was born on April 10, 1993, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to Last.fm. Only she wasn't named Sofia Carson. Rather, she was christened Sofía Daccarett Char when she came in to the world. While it does have a certain ring to it, it does seem a little more difficult to pronounce properly and it makes sense that she changed it, presumably, for her entertainment career.
This leaves us wondering where Carson came up with her name? Was it a name she always admired, or was there a stronger connection to it? Well, The Lansing State Journal reported that her mother's maiden name is Carson. It's a little charming that she chose to adopt a family name, isn't it?
Interestingly enough, Carson's mother has family ties to a few famous politicians and business people in Colombia, making Carson related to some relatively famous family members in Colombia.
One of Sofia Carson's co-stars is her real-life BFF
When Sofia Carson played the role of Evie in the Disney Channel movie trilogy Descendants, she came away with much more than just another acting credit under her belt. She also walked away with a new BFF. As it turns out, Carson became real-life friends with Dove Cameron, one of her co-stars in the Descendants movies. Cameron played Mal in the movie, and her character was friends with Carson's character.
How fitting then that the two women developed a lasting friendship that began while filming the movie and continued even after production wrapped up. According to Cameron's 2019 interview with Teen Vogue, the two got to know each other over years of starring in the Descendants movies. In one of Carson's Instagram posts, it's clear the two are rather close. Carson's caption read, "Happy Birthday to the Mal to my Evie, the Purple to my Blue," continuing, "Wishing you all the love, laughter, and happiness in the world... Love you."
What a touching friendship tribute!
Sofia Carson looked up to these celebrities when she was young
Nearly every young girl looks up to celebrities when she's young, and Sofia Carson was no exception to this. In an interview with Coveteur, Carson said, "I grew up idolizing women like Cher, [Barbra] Streisand, even Jennifer Lopez, who didn't have to choose." Carson went on to state that the women she admired when she was growing up had amazing jobs in both the music and film worlds, both of which Carson adores.
She stated in an another interview with Coveteur, "Cher's a big idol of mine. I would watch her concerts as a little girl and wanted to have a wig for every day, depending on my mood, just like Cher."
Is it any wonder that Carson's IMDb page already has quite the extensive list of music and film credits behind her name? With powerful idols and role models, such as J.Lo and Cher, it isn't too surprising that Carson is working her way to major stardom.
Sofia Carson was a bookworm
Even though Sofia Carson is a music and film star today, that doesn't mean she was always glamorous and in the spotlight. As a matter of fact, she told Coveteur that she "was always studying, always reading a book" when she was a child. Yes, the starlet actually started out as a bit of a bookworm! Describing her younger self compared to the other students at her girls-only school, Carson said she was more unfashionable back then. She even shared that some people at her school were more than a little surprised when they heard that she planned to try to break into the music industry in Los Angeles.
It seems Carson may have gone through a bit of a transformation from childhood into young adulthood. Most people do change as they grow into an adult, so this little-known fact about Carson just makes her even more relatable.
These are Sofia Carson's ultimate style icons
Sofia Carson herself admitted in a Coveteur interview that she had a much different style than the girls at her school. But that doesn't mean that she didn't have a style icon or two whom she admired. In fact, as she was growing up, Carson "always loved timeless, classic, feminine fashion, like Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O." Both of these women are renowned for their own iconic styles: Hepburn is perhaps most well-known for her little black dress in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, while Jackie Kennedy Onassis is beloved for her sense of style as a former first lady.
Carson may have started out a bit less fashionable than she is now, but it's easy to see that has since changed. She certainly has developed her own sense of fashion, wearing anything from pastel purple dresses to more vibrant styles with pops of hot pink (via Teen Vogue). Whether she's in more muted tones or something bolder and more daring, her red carpet looks often incorporate some of the more feminine styles that her icons were known for wearing.
This is Sofia Carson's celebrity crush
Growing up, most people generally kept their crushes a secret, perhaps only telling their very best friends who were trustworthy enough to keep these things confidential. So it's refreshing then that Sofia Carson informed the world who her celebrity crush is in an interview. Not only that, but Carson kept it real and admitted that meeting him just might get a little weird, should it happen one day. She confided to Coveteur that she has a bit of a thing for actor Andrew Garfield, saying, "So if I meet him, I'm definitely going to tell him that and break the ice that way. We'll see how he reacts. It's going to be so awkward it's going to be amazing."
We hope that Carson has some success meeting Garfield and informing him of the fact that she has a crush on him. And, of course, it would be great if she would dish on every single detail, including whether or not it was as awkward as she expected!
This moment had a huge impact on Sofia Carson's life
At the beginning of 2020, Sofia Carson gave an interview to Teen Vogue about her ambassadorship with UNICEF. It turns out that UNICEF earned Carson's respect when she was quite young, so it is rather perfect that, as an adult, she serves as one of their ambassadors. UNICEF's mission statement, "for every child," is short and sweet. Yet the work they do jives with Carson's desire to help children in need.
Credit goes, in part, to her mother for the work Carson does with the organization. As a child who visited Colombia fairly often, Carson and her sister were brought by their mother to an organization that assisted abused women and girls. There Carson was introduced to a girl only one year younger than her, but a world apart in life situations. The girl, only 11 at the time, had a child by her stepfather. Meeting this similarly aged girl really made an impact on Carson, who told Teen Vogue, "We realized that no matter what we did for the rest of our lives, we have a duty to this girl, and to the world, to give."
Sofia Carson was bullied as a child
It comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that Sofia Carson wasn't exactly a social butterfly as a child, surrounded by dozens of admirers and friends. The opposite was actually the case, according to an interview with Teen Vogue. Carson revealed that she was bullied when she was a child. She stated that she just "never really fit in" and "was always kind of a nerd" as a youth. Her situation now is worlds apart from her childhood experience. After all, today she is a gorgeous music and film star!
Though her journey from bullied child to famous young woman couldn't have been easy, her story just might offer up a bit of hope to the 20 percent of students between ages 12 and 18 in the United States that have been bullied, according to stopbullying.gov. Just look where life has taken her!
Sofia Carson knew she wanted to be in the spotlight since she was 3
It seems rather rare that anyone grows up to be exactly what they hoped to be when they were a child. Dreaming of future careers as a kid brings with it nearly limitless possibilities. However, in reality, becoming an astronaut or a ballerina is actually quite difficult. Yet Sofia Carson knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life since the tender age of 3.
According to the Miami Herald, the toddler version of Carson absolutely adored music. She especially relished the wonderful music of beloved Disney classics, such as Beauty and the Beast. It was this very movie that 3-year-old Carson found herself dancing and singing along to, complete with a pint-sized version of Belle's famous yellow dress. "I couldn't picture myself doing anything else," she told the Miami Herald.
It certainly didn't take Carson long to make her childhood dreams come true, since she starred in an episode of Disney series Austin & Ally in 2014, when she was around 21.
Sofia Carson's connection to Michael Jackson and other music icons
Sofia Carson's illustrious career encompasses her love of singing and acting. But everyone starts out as a beginner, no matter what industry or profession they choose for themselves. According to the Miami Herald, Carson has been taking vocal lessons ever since she was a child living in Miami, and she hasn't really stopped since.
One of her vocal teachers, Rachel Riggs, even has a few famous connections. More specifically, her father, Seth Riggs, worked with some pretty well-known singers, such as Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Seth Riggs and his wife's own website also lists several other mega celebrity names, including Barbra Streisand. Streisand is, no doubt, a legendary singer, and she is also someone whom Carson mentioned looking up to as a girl in her talk with Coveteur. Perhaps Carson had the chance to meet her idol through her vocal teacher. It really is a small world at times, isn't it?
This is what Sofia Carson does in her down time
It's hard to picture the life of a celebrity sometimes. More often than not, images come to mind of popped champagne bottles, glitzy clothing, dancing, and parties galore. While these images are no doubt part and parcel to the life of a celebrity, they aren't necessarily how all famous people would choose to spend their free time.
Sofia Carson is someone who would rather keep things simple when she has some down time, according to an interview Carson did with ABC News. Her ideal version of a day off would likely include hanging out with her younger sister, Paulina. Talking about herself, Carson said that she's just "not that exciting," but she's okay with that. She actually thinks of that as a good thing. She noted, "I don't really do exciting things. I think that's the nice thing, whenever you have down time."
Ultimately, you likely won't find Carson clubbing at a local hotspot on her day off anytime soon. You'd be much more likely to run into her at the local movie theater.
Sofia Carson dreams of collaborating with these artists
Now that Sofia Carson has achieved her childhood dream of being a singer and actress, what comes next? It's pretty hard to beat releasing music and starring in popular shows and movies. But that hasn't stopped the young star from dreaming of even bigger and better things. In 2017, Carson told People about her next big dream, which involves Ed Sheeran or Bruno Mars. She said, "They are both such incredible storytellers and performers."
A post on Sheeran's official Facebook page stated that, as of December 2019, he was taking a break for a time, so Carson's dream of collaborating with him may have to wait just a little while longer. Mars, however, celebrated the ten-year anniversary of his album Doo-Wops & Hooligans in 2020, so maybe Carson would have more luck on broaching a musical collaboration with him?
Regardless of her next move, Carson is sure to continue climbing in her career and charming us all as she goes.
Sofia Carson defended her movie Purple Hearts amid criticism
Sofia Carson starred in the Netflix film "Purple Hearts" in 2022. The drama centers around a musician, played by Carson, who marries a marine (played by Nicholas Galitzine) to get health insurance. The series was an instant success, debuting at No. 1 on the streaming site.
However, along with the film's popularity came criticism from a portion of the audience who felt it had racist and misogynistic themes. Carson stood by the project, which she not only acted in but also produced. Speaking to Variety, she said the film was more than just a love story. "It's two hearts, one red, one blue, two worlds apart, who are really raised to hate each other. Through the power of love, they learn to lead with empathy and compassion and love each other and turn into this beautiful shade of purple," she said. "We wanted to represent both sides as accurately as possible."
Along with some of the criticism "Purple Hearts" received, the film was also praised for its depiction of Type 1 diabetes. Carson said that she credits the director, Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, for setting the tone to make sure the film was honest about the condition. "The more that we learned about diabetes, the more that we wanted to really represent what it means to be a Type 1 diabetic in 2022 in the United States, as accurately and as vulnerably as possible," Carson stated, via Variety.
She mourned the loss of costar Cameron Boyce
Sofia Carson is still close to many of her "Descendants" costars, including Dove Cameron — but sadly, one of the Disney series cast members, Cameron Boyce, died in 2019. Boyce had epilepsy and tragically died in his sleep when he had an unexpected seizure. The Disney star was only 20 at the time.
Following Boyce's death, the actor's family founded The Cameron Bryce Foundation, dedicated to finding a cure for epilepsy. After performing at one of the charity's events, Carson told People, "Cam always said that we all go, but what we leave behind should be bigger than us. That's exactly what he did ... Feeling Cam's presence and loving him and being loved by him was like feeling sunshine."
Carson has always made a point to remember her friend, often posting on her social media for his birthday. This year, she also posted a picture of them on July 6, the anniversary of his death. In the photo, the actress is hugging Boyce from the side, and the caption reads, "Three years without you. I love you, forever. I miss you, forever."
What is Sofia Carson's net worth?
Sofia Carson's net worth is a lot more than you might guess. Though still relatively young, she's already estimated to have a net worth of $6 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The large number makes more sense when you consider Carson's career. She's been a working actress since 2014, when she was in an episode of "Austin and Ally." Since then, she's starred in many projects, including "A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits," "Songbird," and the "Descendants" franchise.
Outside of acting, Carson is also a musician and producer. She's been releasing music for years, and recently pushed herself creatively by writing all the songs for "Purple Hearts." Speaking to Billboard about the project, she said she's been writing music since she was 11, but this was her first time writing from someone else's perspective, as she wrote the songs from her character's viewpoint. Carson was also an executive producer for "Purple Hearts." The film became a huge success on Netflix, pushing her production, acting, and music forward. Her variety of talents and revenue streams have contributed to her having such a high net worth so early in life.
She's excited about the stage she's entering in her career
The Netflix movie "Purple Hearts" was a passion project as well as a huge moment in Sofia Carson's career. It was her first time executive producing on a project and her first time writing for a soundtrack. The project was especially important to Carson because she has been involved since the beginning, when the director gave her the script in 2017. "Liz (Rosenbaum) told me when she handed me the script that she wanted to embark on this journey together," Carson told Billboard. "It's more than just director and actor, but partners." They worked together on developing her character and making the story everything it could be.
For Carson, bringing the film to life — both as an actress on screen and as a producer behind the scenes — changed the way she sees herself and her career. "It's interesting because growing up, I always had the examples of women like Barbra Streisand and Cher, who were such trailblazers and really redefined what it meant to be a woman in the industry," she said. "They did it all. They were not only musicians and songwriters, but they were also directors and producers. So, it's very exciting to have entered this stage of my career."
Her tattoos in Purple Hearts aren't real
Sofia Carson has no tattoos that we know about, though she could very well have some that aren't visible to her fans. However, her multiple tattoos seen in "Purple Hearts" are fake. For Carson, adding the tattoos was one of many ways she was able to connect to her role as Cassie. Speaking to The Wrap, Carson explained that she's quite different from her character in the film. Although they share some of the same ideology, they have very different personalities. "She's messy, you know? She's unpredictable, she's tough, she's unafraid to say exactly what she thinks ... I'm more polished, and more put together, I think through things much more," the actress said.
Carson also had a role in picking the tattoos for her character. She worked with the director to bring Cassie to life through her physical appearance and style. "The transformation helped ... because I had [tattoos] that I got to pick, which was so cool. You know, her clothes, her style, I was very involved in picking to make sure it was like kind of rock and roll, kind of an ode to the 70s, kind of tomboyish, not very feminine," she explained to The Wrap.
Sofia Carson loved voicing Pip in My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Speaking to Collider, Sofia Carson said she "vividly" remembers playing with My Little Pony toys when she was young. So, when the opportunity to be part of "My Little Pony: The Next Generation" came about, she jumped at the chance. "It was such an easy yes. It's such a beautiful and magical world, and something that so many people have loved for so many years," Carson said about accepting the role of Pip in the film.
Although the original script was quite similar to the final story, Carson loved seeing the animation come together to make the story more than she'd imagined. "I think the world was so much bigger and so much more magical than what we imagined, and that's so beautiful. That's the power of animation and the power of 'My Little Pony.'" She was also particularly excited to be part of a story that kids would enjoy and that held an important message. "The heart of the story is so real and so important and so timely," Carson explained. "In a world that has been torn apart by hatred and division, these ponies, who are these kids ... they can change the great, big world by making that fearless choice of choosing love despite the forces of the world trying to keep them apart ... Our young generation is the generation that's leading the way to a path of love."