Sofia Carson is jumping for joy — literally— at her PEOPLE StyleWatch shoot in Los Angeles. Decked out in a caped dress and sky high Christian Louboutin heels, the actress, singer and dancer, 31, leaps into the air while the photographer captures her defying gravity, earning a spontaneous burst of applause from everyone on-set.
After more than a decade in the spotlight, the star certainly knows how to nail a photo. “I love creating a moment out of every time I step onto a carpet,” Carson says.
The actress and UNICEF ambassador got her start on the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally in 2014, then landed a starring role in the cult hit Descendants trilogy. Since then, she’s been carving her path in Hollywood, guided by what she calls “a very natural” transition into more adult roles in films like Netflix’s hit Purple Hearts opposite Nicholas Galitzine and the new thriller Carry-On (streaming Dec. 13) opposite Jason Bateman and Taron Egerton.
While the star continues to evolve with the characters she plays onscreen, she’s determined to remain true to herself offscreen, especially when it comes to her personal style, which has always been inspired by Audrey Hepburn and, more recently, Angelina Jolie’s minimalist-chic vibe.
“The second that you step in front of a camera, you learn a whole lot about what suits you, and also about what you feel most like yourself in,” she explains. “For a long time it wasn’t cool to lean toward elegant and timeless, and I was always asked to be sexier or be cooler, whatever that meant,” she says of her penchant for ball gowns over bodycon dresses. “And [my glam team and I] never did, because it just wasn’t me.” She adds, “There is such power in embracing absolute femininity and I love being able to do that often.”
So, would she call her look, say, demure? She ponders whether she ascribes to the word of the year. She loves to pepper in a bold moment but, “demure could apply to my style. I do think there’s an element of demure that I definitely take with me.”
Whether she’s in a glittering gown or a tailored tuxedo, one thing remains certain: The girl loves to dress up. “We have a running joke in my team that if ever it says cocktail, it’s definitely not going to be cocktail. I love drama,” says Carson with a smile, joking that when it comes to her hair there’s “probably a side part involved” no matter the look (although she also admits that she’s “dying to do something drastic” with her hair for a role).
Carson will have many opportunities to flaunt her flair for fashion this holiday season, especially while she’s promoting “White Christmas”, her latest collaboration with Andrea Bocelli that just dropped. (Carson calls singing “my favorite Christmas ballad ever” with the Italian tenor “just the greatest joy.”)
When Christmas nears, Carson plans to join loved ones in her parents’ native Colombia, where her late grandmother’s house has long been a joy-filled gathering spot. “We always open presents on Christmas Eve, and my mom does Santa Claus gifts for us, even though we’re too old,” says Carson, whose most memorable holiday ensemble remains “the year my sister and I wore matching onesies, red lipstick and heels.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Carson already has a jam-packed schedule with the upcoming films The Life List (with Connie Britton) and My Oxford Year, an adaptation of the bestselling novel. She also hopes to focus on something she keeps private—dating. “I’m in a moment where I’m busier than ever,” she shares. “But I also feel more balanced than ever, where I’m really prioritizing a personal life in a really beautiful way and learning that both can and should coexist.”
With a plate as full as hers, Carson still finds time to stay connected to her nearly 20 million Instagram followers by sharing her work, travels and red carpet moments with them. “I’m just so grateful that the fans that met me 10 years ago have grown up with me now and feel like the stories that I’m telling still speak to them.” So we asked some of her biggest fans (of all ages!) to send Carson their burning questions, and here, she answers them and offers advice on everything from anxiety to breakups.
Do you consider yourself a dancer, actress or singer? – Skyler, 11
I consider myself a storyteller, and it’s the most beautiful gift to be able to storytell, either through dance or through music or through film. And I began with dance and music, but as I transitioned into acting, I quickly learned that it is the same thing. It is the concept of being able to tell stories in just different ways, and I feel just so unbelievably lucky that I get to do all of that.
Sofia, I’ve heard you like opera. Do you like it better than musical theater? – Tatjana, 10
I actually was recently singing with Andrea Bocelli, who is one of the greatest singers of all time, and I’m so honored to get to release music with him. And we were in London performing and he was listening to my vocal warmups and he asked me if I sang opera. And I said that I don’t, but that I was trained classically. And Andrea Bocelli told me that I should sing opera and I think I could have died right then and there. And ever since then it’s been in my mind that I would love to explore that perhaps in film. My favorite musical is The Phantom of the Opera, which brings both worlds together.
I was wondering, do you ever get nervous onstage when you’re performing? Because I’m a dancer too, and I want some advice. – Riley, 9
What gives me ease is preparing as much as possible, rehearsing with my coach so that everything becomes a part of my muscle. So when I get onstage, butterflies will always kick in, but when you have control of your muscle, it won’t affect you as much.
But recently I was just shooting a movie in London and I had to go straight from that into a couple of very big performances with Andrea Bocelli and I was just a wreck for a few days. And the only thing that I did to help myself was to just lean into rehearsing as much as possible. But I think it’s a beautiful thing to have nerves because I think it means that you’re just so absolutely passionate about what you do, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. I think it was Emma Stone who talked about the power of anxiety and using it as a superpower. And I myself have anxiety and thinking of it in that way has been really empowering.
Sofia, are you still friends with Dove Cameron? – Ofelia, 7
We are! Dove, Boo and Cam and I will be bonded for life after what we experienced. Filming Descendants was a fairy tale. It was a dream come true in every sense. And we reunite every year together for [the Cam for a Cause] gala to support The Cameron Boyce Foundation.
How has your style evolved and what is it like now? – Catherine, 33
I’ve always gravitated towards anything that feels timeless and elegant. Audrey Hepburn has always been my guiding light in terms of everything regarding fashion and style. So I always, always gravitate towards timeless, elegance, chic.
Who’s your favorite Disney Princess? – Cali, 9
My favorite Disney princess was always Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Growing up, I think she was the first one that I felt looked like me because she was a brunette. And she always had her nose buried in a book and she wasn’t chasing after a prince, and I felt very seen by that as a young independent woman. So Belle was always my favorite.
How do you get your spark back after a breakup? – Michelle, 26
I think surrounding yourself with people that you love, who fill your spark, who fill your cup. To me, when I went through a rough breakup, I turned to music as a way to express what I was feeling. And I wrote so many songs, like the amount of really sad heartbreaking songs that are in my notes page really helped. It was a catharsis and that really, I think, got me through it.
Who is the first person you call when you need advice? – Kaylyn, 10
My mom. My mom is my everything, my compass. No one knows me like she does. She’s my first call, multiple calls a day, I will say. And she does give the best advice.
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