Sofia Carson: Netflix’s Guaranteed Success Story – Exclusive Interview!

She’s the face behind some of Netflix’s latest hits: Carry-On, Wounded Hearts, Tomorrow is Another Day… In just a few years, Sofia Carson has become one of the leading actresses on the streaming platform. With millions of followers on social media, she wields significant influence, particularly among younger audiences. This is why she was invited as a jury member for the Biarritz Film Festival – New Waves. AlloCiné met with her to discuss her career.

Her screen debut came on the Disney Channel, appearing in the series Austin and Ally in 2014, when she was just 21 years old. The following year, she became a key character in Descendants, a series of TV movies focused on the children of the villains from classic Disney films. She portrayed Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen and stepmother to Snow White.

After several TV projects, the actress began a significant collaboration with Netflix starting in 2019 with the film Feel the Beat. She took on darker, sometimes controversial roles. This was the case with Wounded Hearts, the story of a musician who marries a conservative soldier to obtain health insurance to cover her diabetes-related expenses. Upon its release, many subscribers criticized the film, calling it “racist” and “misogynistic.”

I’ve never felt the need to break away from the Disney image.

For Carson, it was an opportunity to move away from the polished, innocent image of Disney, although she doesn’t see it that way: “I’ve never felt the need to break from an image. I’ve worked very hard to ensure that every decision I’ve made aligns with who I am at that particular moment. I think my fans have naturally grown with me in a very organic way. I’ve never felt the need for a drastic change or to break away from any of the roles I’ve been fortunate enough to play after Disney.”

Despite the controversy, her films have been hugely successful. “The reach of Netflix is extraordinary,” she says. “The whole world rushes to the platform to watch your films, which is very powerful. I do not take this lightly. One of my favorite aspects of my job is knowing that somewhere in the world, a girl has been moved by one of these stories.”

She continues: “This is especially true with Tomorrow is Another Day, which just came out. Every time I open TikTok, there’s a surge of content and videos people have created to show how much the film impacted their own lives.”

A Multifaceted Actress

“I’ve naturally evolved into more mature roles,” she adds. “Throughout my journey, I’ve always been aware of the responsibility I hold towards my audience.” An audience that continues to grow. On Instagram alone, the actress is followed by more than 22 million people. This influence allows her to wear multiple hats, including that of a producer, which helps her cement her influence on projects that partly rely on her name.

Speaking of roles, “the most important” one she’s ever held, according to her, is that of a UNICEF ambassador. This is a crucial mission for Sofia Carson, “especially now when foreign budget cuts are making UNICEF’s work very challenging due to significant loss of funding.”

On August 1st, the actress will star in a new Netflix film, My Oxford Year. Another hit is expected.

The Biarritz Film Festival – New Waves takes place from June 24 to June 29, 2025.