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Grace VanderWaal Matures in Hollywood Stargirl

Hollywood Stargirl is the sequel to Disney+’s Stargirl. Changing scenery from New Mexico to Los Angeles, the cast talks about their love letter to LA and how Hollywood Stargirl reveals a more mature Stargirl Caraway. 

Hollywood Stargirl ok for kids

Grace VanderWaal said she was was so honored to play Stargirl again after seeing how much love people had for her.  VanderWaal grows more and more love for her character. “She’s growing up. She’s seeing the world, experiencing different things. She’s still her, but I think that the difference in this one is she’s just maturing and kind of defining that word of maturity and what it really means to her.”

And Stargirl is growing up as she navigates some of L.A. on her own as her mother (Judy Greer) has gotten her dream costuming job on a movie set. The job is demanding and she’s not home as much as she’d like to be. But it’s not just the new pixie cut she’s rocking, Stargirl has a big heart.

When asked about why she took the role Greer said, “I wanted to be around people that had really big hearts and had a lot of love, and I felt that I was going to get that with this group.” And she wasn’t wrong. 

You could feel the chemistry and love amongst the cast during the Hollywood Stargirl press junket. The cast had so much chemistry even from their first script reading according to Elijah Richardson and Tyrel Jackson Williams who play Evan and Terrell, two brothers that befriend Stargirl. They said it was natural and they already felt like brothers.

According to Williams, “As soon as we got on set, it was just like, ‘oh, it’s going to be like this?’ We have nothing to worry about.”

When you watch Hollywood Stargirl, you’ll notice the ease of the friendship and familiarity between the characters. It feels natural and genuine.

Greer also raved about the cast. “You can’t drive home from work when you’re making this movie and feel down at all because she sees the world in a different way. Stargirl just takes in information and spits out happiness and love and positivity.”

Right now, it’s so refreshing to see a film that radiates joy. That’s part of the maturity of Stargirl and VanderWaal in this role.

One of the biggest takeaways for Richardson of the film is “running away from your issues or your problems isn’t the way to go about things. You know, you have to face it eventually. Taking risks doesn’t always mean that you’ll fail. You can take a risk and be the most successful person ever. You know what I mean? So just be willing to take a risk.”

Wise words and sentiments. Hollywood Stargirl is a wonderful family film and is now streaming on Disney+!