DISNEY
Daveigh Chase attended the "Lilo & Stitch" premiere yesterday in Hollywood. At right is the Lilo character she gives voice to in the movie.
ORLANDO, FLA. -- Decked out in her white dress, with a red-and-white paper hibiscus tucked behind her right ear, 11-year-old Daveigh Chase is all smiles and cheery comments. Actress plans luau
for 12th birthdayBy Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.comChase, the voice of the 5-year-old Hawaiian girl Lilo in Disney's latest animated feature, "Lilo & Stitch," has met individually over three days with more than 100 news people who likely have asked her the same questions over and over. "It's been fun," she says.
"Lilo & Stitch" is Chase's biggest theatrical venture. She began recording Lilo's voice three years ago. She won the audition while living in Albany, Ore., and has since moved to Los Angeles, where she is pursuing a busy acting career.
"One of my dreams has been to be the voice of an animated character," she says.
It's an answer pretty much verbatim from the Disney press release on the movie and she sometimes had difficulty answering questions that veered from the film. But she seems to know the media, asking reporters, "You do know how to spell my name, right?"
She's never been to Hawaii, but in the years she's been recording Lilo's voice, she has learned words such as aloha, mahalo and ohana, which she says, almost mantra-like, means "family and never being left behind."
She plans to have a birthday luau when she turns 12 next month, but when asked whether she'll serve poi, she hasn't a clue what it is. "I'm just going to have a lot of Hawaii desserts," she says, giggling.
Chase and her mom, Cathy, attended yesterday's premiere in Hollywood and will attend tomorrow's private VIP screening of "Lilo & Stitch" at the Waikiki Twin theaters.
In addition to her role as Lilo, she has done voice-over work in the starring role of Chihiro in the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's anime hit, "Spirited Away," which Disney is planning to release soon. Chase also worked on Disney's latest animated TV series, "Fillmore!," which debuts on ABC this fall.
She's also done live acting, just finishing filming the role of Samara for the feature film, "Ring," an English-language remake of the popular Japanese horror flick of the same name. Chase also completed roles in the films "Carolina" and "Silence." Other recent film credits include the overlooked "Donnie Darko" and "R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse," in which she played a ghost named Annabel.
She'll have a role in a fall Fox TV show "Oliver Beene." She's also appeared in "Touched by an Angel," "Family Law," "ER" and "The Practice."
Star-Bulletin: What was it like the first time you heard your voice attached to Lilo's mouth?
Daveigh Chase: It was kind of strange, but cool at the same time. I was surprised that she had some of my mannerisms. It's going to be very cool going to see the movie and not telling anyone there that I'm the voice of Lilo.
SB: Did you learn anything about Hawaii doing "Lilo & Stitch"?
DC: I did, but I forgot them -- oh, I learned about hula and did some, but I'm not very good!
SB: How are you like Lilo?
DC: A lot really. I put a lot of emotion into Lilo and I do it in my own life, too. Sometimes she slams doors at home and so do I. I am a bit of a loner like Lilo. I like friends, but I like to be alone, to read. But I don't bite people like Lilo! I also have a dog -- she's named Rosie.
SB: Do you argue with an older sister?
DC: No, 'cuz I'm an only child.
SB: What are some of your favorite parts of the movie?
DC: Oh, that's easy! It was so funny when Lilo runs up to her room and shuts the door and (her sister) Nani yells to her to go to her room. Then Lilo opens the door and says "Ha, I'm already here!" Oh, and I don't surf, but I love to bodyboard. And I love Elvis, too. I was littler when I heard his song "Unchained Melody" and I loved that.
SB: Do you know that Lilo never cries?
DC: That's because she's very tough. But I could have cried if they wanted me to.
SB: What are your professional goals?
DC: I want to keep on acting. Hopefully I can win a Grammy for my singing and an Annie (for animation, bestowed by the L.A. branch of the International Animated Film Society) for being Lilo. That would be so nice! When I'm older I want to become a robotic engineer. I do plan on going to college.
I love to sing. When I was littler, I sang country but now I'm into R&B and pop. Alicia Keys is the bomb! I love her!
SB: How did you get into acting?
DC: When I was 4, I used to watch Barney videos. I saw the kids on the show and said "I want to do that." And I loved the kids on the "Mickey Mouse Club." When I was 2, people used to say I looked like Tabitha from "Bewitched."
SB: Are you going to be in the "Lilo & Stitch" movie sequel?
DC: Well, I know I'm in the TV series, and that's as far as we have gotten. They're, like, reluctant to put me in the sequel because it's so far in advance and they're worried my voice may change. But I really, really want to do the sequel! I am very attached to Lilo.
SB: Is it too much work to have to study and act all in the same day?
DC: My work is like play; it's so much fun to act! All the people on the set are so nice to me. I have a tutor on set.
SB: How do your friends feel about you being the star of "Lilo & Stitch"?
DC: Most of my friends don't know. I don't brag or anything.
SB: What's the dumbest question a reporter has asked you?
DC: "Do I like Lilo?" That was pretty silly!
SB: Have you been asked for your autograph?
DC: Yeah and I love it! I will always give autographs, unless, of course, I am really tired, so it would have to be another time.
SB: What was the first thing you bought for yourself with the money you received from "Lilo & Stitch?"
DC: Well, I have a trust fund in California for all my earnings. My mom never really gave me a treat. We had a celebration dinner with my family when I got the part. I don't really care about the money because acting is so much fun.
SB: Are you going to be able to handle all the notoriety from this picture?
DC: Well, it is just my voice, but some people who worked for Disney have recognized me already. I don't think people will really know who I am. I guess I'll have to deal with it!
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