‘We’re all immigrants’: Wayne’s World star on America’s divide
From sassy Cassandra Wong in Waynes World to Nani in Lilo & Stitch, Tia Carrere’s Hollywood journey has come full circle. She’s in Australia to celebrate the film that made her an icon.
Confidential
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Wayne’s World star Tia Carrere has been a fixture in Hollywood for more than four decades, but she hasn’t forgotten the days where seeing someone of Asian descent in a lead role was almost unheard of.
“When I first came up (into the industry) there was nobody that looked like me that did lead roles,” Carrere told Confidential.
“I think starting with Cassandra in a major studio picture being such a huge hit, it showed that there’s a marketplace for people like me.”
Now 57, the actor has returned to the big screen in Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and is visiting Australia for the first time in 25 years.
But while her career is hitting a fresh high, Carrere says the divisions in American society, particularly the current riots around immigration are “deeply troubling.”
“It’s heartbreaking, but I refuse to let it break my heart,” she said.
“I hope that people in America realise that we’re all immigrants from somewhere else.”
Carrere is gearing up to warm up Australia’s winter with her aloha spirit to celebrate 33 years since Wayne’s World first hit cinemas with a screening tour.
Best known for her role as Cassandra Wong in the cult classic, which she declares is “the best movie in the world”, Carrere is in town to celebrate the milestone anniversary and meet fans in person.
“The last time I was down in Australia was maybe 25 years ago. So it’s been a long time. I’m very excited.”
Carrere, who began her career at 17 most recently appeared in the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which she says has struck a powerful chord with audiences.
Originally voicing Nani in the 2002 animated version of Lilo and Stitch, Carrere returned in the new film to play a social worker, and was thrilled that some key cultural elements from the original were preserved.
“I’m over the moon that it’s such a huge hit,” she said.
“In the first one, because I was born and raised in Hawaii, the filmmakers asked me how I’d say goodbye to my sister in the hammock scene. I suggested a song called Aloha ‘Oe. I sang it for them, and they said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so perfect.’ And that same moment is still in this live-action version.”
While recent Disney remakes like The Little Mermaid and Snow White struggled to make a splash, Lilo & Stitch is proving a hit, tracking toward $950 million worldwide.
Carrere says the success of the film proves there’s not just an appetite for diverse stories but strong commercial value too.
“I think when movies like this do well, it tells studios you can trust in diverse stories.”
Looking ahead, she’s got her hands full with a greenlit TV series, a script for a heavy drama she hopes to film in Hawaii.
“The great thing about having a huge hit movie is that doors are open that weren’t open before,” she said.
Carrere will appear in Sydney on June 20 at the Hayden Orpheum.
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