‘Descendants 3’ Star Jadah Marie Says She’s ‘Honored’ to Work With Director Kenny Ortega Again
Jadah Marie joined the Disney Descendants franchise for its third installment in 2019. Taking on the role of Celia, daughter of Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog, the young actor apparently made an impression on famed director Kenny Ortega.
Recruited by Ortega for the Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms, Marie is clearly making a name for herself both in music and on the small screen.
‘Julie and the Phantoms’ star describes Flynn
Starring as Julie’s bestie Flynn in the Netflix musical series, Marie considers the relationship between the two characters as a comfort to viewers.
“My favorite aspect of Flynn is definitely her relationship with her and Julie,” Marie told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I feel their friendship is something that everyone needs. … Their relationship is so unique and amazing.”
The Julie and the Phantoms star also connects with her character’s love of footwear.
“Flynn is very charismatic and very funny and is a fashionista,” Marie explained. “And she is a major sneaker head. I love sneakers. Flynn is a sneaker head and we both love shoes so much.“
Jadah Marie saw similarities with her ‘Descendants 3’ role
When describing her role in Descendants 3, Marie revealed there were some common threads between herself and her character.
“I loved playing Celia because she was so sassy and she was so cute,” Marie remarked. “She’s also a daddy’s girl, which is kind of like me.”
Marie also spoke of the tight bond among cast members, which included Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, and the late Cameron Boyce.
“One of the things that I loved about working on Descendants 3 was that we all clicked,” the Netflix star shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “We all, honestly, all got super close … the first month that we all flew to Vancouver, we all had to do dance rehearsals. I feel like that particular part of the whole shooting was so important because we all took the time to get to know each other and just became a big family.”
Reunited with ‘High School Musical’ director Kenny Ortega
Casting Marie in the role of Flynn on the Netflix series, Ortega’s status as a renowned director is held in high esteem by the young star.
“Getting a chance to work with him again is amazing,” Marie gushed. “He is the legend … I’m so honored to have the opportunity. [Ortega’s] directing Descendants and Julie is so much fun because he’s so generous and so nice. I feel so comfortable with him being my director.”
While Marie is adding to her screen credits, the young star made time during the coronavirus crisis to hone in on her music career.
“I am really focusing on my music,” she said. “I love singing and I love rapping. I feel like now I get to share that with the world and my supporters.”
Despite her success in Hollywood, Marie may be setting her sites on a different career field down the road.
“I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer,” the Descendants 3 star revealed. “It’s, like, the total opposite but I’ve always loved that.”
Julie and the Phantoms is now streaming on Netflix.
