Summary

Lilo & Stitch crash-lands in theaters on May 23.

In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Sydney Agudong and Maia Kealoha discuss how their sisterly bond off screen elevated their roles in the film.

The pair also discusses the movie magic behind bringing Stitch to screen in live-action form.

The live-action adaptation of Disney’s beloved 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch crash-lands in theaters today, bringing with it a new dimension while still maintaining its core themes of belonging and ohana.
At the heart of the film are Maia Kealoha and Sydney Agudong portraying sisters Lilo and Nani, respectively, with the film serving as the breakout role for Kealoha. Agudong, meanwhile, has made appearances in television projects such as NCIS and On My Block. The pair is joined by Chris Sanders, who returns as the iconic voice of Stitch, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen as fan-favorite characters Jumba and Pleakley, Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, and Hannah Waddingham as Grand Councilwoman.
In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Agudong and Kealoha discuss how their off screen sibling-like bond elevated their roles in Lilo & Stitch, while Agudong dives into what it was like going up against her real-life sister for the role of Nani. They also share details about bringing Stitch to life on screen with Sanders doing the voice work and Sarah Harrington donning a Stitch suit on set. Hear all about it straight from Kealoha and Agudong in the video interview at the top of this article, or you can read the conversation in transcript form below.
Casting Nani Came Down to Sydney Agudong … and Her Sister

The Lilo & Stitch casting took sibling rivalry to the next level.

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

PERRI NEMIROFF: Sydney, I have an off-the-cuff-question to start, because I was just told that this role came down to you and your sister.
SYDNEY AGUDONG: Yeah, dude!
I love my sister, but the two of us can butt heads sometimes. I can’t even imagine being in that kind of situation with her, although I would hope we would be supportive of one another!
AGUDONG: That’s the one thing that I think was never a question when we first started acting. We always did it together. I think it poses a very interesting and complex thing, but at the same time, it honestly brought us closer together in that sort of way, which seems kind of unbelievable. But we all three did it together because she was in the room, and she also met Maia, so it felt like we were just all a family. She’s been able to have her big breaks and stuff like that. I mean, obviously, it was very, very tough, but at the same time, we both knew that it was a dream role and we both knew that we would support each other either way, and that it was still a win because one of us was getting it.
It’s such a beautiful experience to have, especially given the overall theme of this movie heavily leaning into family.
AGUDONG: Oh my gosh, full circle.
The Sister Duo of ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Share What They Love About One Another

“To be able to have an off-screen relationship that’s literally the same, it’s a joy and golden at that point.”

This is one of my favorite questions to ask, especially when I see two people on screen who are just so perfect together. Can you each tell me something about the other as a scene partner that you really appreciated, and maybe even helped you deliver your best work?
AGUDONG: Totally! I love that question. She has an endless love and imagination for her work and for the creativity. Her endless want to just explore and improv was right off the bat and almost instantaneous, and that, as a scene partner, was absolutely incredible. Not to mention the trust that we built together was, oh my gosh, worlds of a difference with everything. To be able to have an off-screen relationship that’s literally the same, it’s a joy and golden at that point.
MAIA KEALOHA: What I like about Sydney? I like so much things about Sydney.
AGUDONG: Oh, babygirl! Choose one.
KEALOHA: I’m gonna choose two because you chose two. First, I learned some fashion from her, and second is that I love how she loves to act. She’s a great actor.

Related

Why Lilo Pelekai’s Complexities Make Her One of Disney’s Best Protagonists

A look back on our favorite hula dancing drama queen, twenty years later.

Bringing Stitch to Life in Live-Action Was a Fun Learning Experience

“She teaches us a lot of important stuff, but in a fun way.”

Maia, I also heard that you like to ask a lot of questions on set.
KEALOHA: I do!
I’m curious, what is the coolest thing you learned about what it takes to make a movie?
KEALOHA: I actually learned two things. I don’t know if you know this, but do you know Chris Sanders?
Yeah!
KEALOHA: I didn’t know that the Stitch voice he actually played was actually his real voice.
AGUDONG: Yeah! Isn’t that crazy?
KEALOHA: And the other one is, they kind of taught me how to turn a rock into Stitch.
AGUDONG: Using your full imagination.
KEALOHA: Yeah, totally.
Oh, that’s so cool!

Image via Disney

I also always love asking about unsung heroes on a set, and I was reading a little bit about Sarah, the performer who was in the Stitch suit.
AGUDONG: Sarah Harrington.
Can you tell me a little bit about working with her?
KEALOHA: Oh my gosh! You know all of them! Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.
AGUDONG: She was a blessing.
KEALOHA: She’s a good helper. If I had my phone right now, I would show you so much cute stuff. She would have a Stitch, and she’d be like this [pantomimes Sarah on set].
AGUDONG: Sarah did, like, 1,000 jobs in one. She was on set every single day at the top of the morning. She was committed. She loves what she does. And she took us leaps and bounds within such a short amount of time. Man, if everybody could have a Sarah on set, it’d be amazing. I’m extremely grateful that we had her, and I hope to work with her again. I hope that everybody really gets to work with her again. She’s fantastic.
KEALOHA: You know how when you have to learn something, you have to learn it quick, and you need to learn it in an important way? Sarah’s not like that. She teaches us a lot of important stuff, but in a fun way.
AGUDONG: Yes! Totally. She made it fun and safe.
That’s always important. It sounds like you were surrounded by the best here.
AGUDONG: We were.
Lilo & Stitch hits theaters on May 23.

Lilo & Stitch

Release Date

May 21, 2025

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Dean Fleischer Camp

Writers

Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Producers

Tom C. Peitzman, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin

Chris Sanders

Stitch (voice)

Get Tickets