Disney Backtracks, Recasts Controversial 'Lilo & Stitch' Actor

Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch is about to start production and just revealed the full cast list. Unfortunately, the casting announcements have received massive backlash due to lighter-skinned actors being cast to play Nani (Sydney Agudong) and David (Kahiau Machado). Disney was accused of colorist casting, with fans arguing that although Agudong was born on Hawaii and Machado is native Hawaiian, their lighter skin tones white-wash the film’s characters.

The controversies don’t stop there, unfortunately. After announcing that Machado would be portraying David, fans discovered a Spotify playlist supposedly created by the actor with the title containing the N-word. A deep dive into the actor’s social media also presented a Facebook post containing the same word and an Instagram post with Machado comparing himself to Rosa Parks.

While most of his online presence was hidden quickly, the discoveries went viral on Twitter and other social media and fans started demanding answers. While some argued that much of it was from several years ago, others questioned whether Disney does background or social media checks on their actors before casting them. The backlash spread quickly, and less than a week after announcing Kahiau Machado would play David, Disney announced they had recast the role.

Kaipo Dudoit has been cast as David in ‘LILO & STITCH’, replacing Kahiau Machado.

(Source: https://t.co/hQX4IdQUHg) pic.twitter.com/OPjizRQ01a

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 21, 2023

The Hollywood Reporter announced yesterday that newcomer Kaipo Dudoit has been cast to replace Machado in the live-action film. This would be Dudoit’s first feature film and already the reception seems to be positive. Fans are saying he already looks much more like David and praise Disney for casting a more obvious actor of color as David and are hopeful the studio will listen to their complaints about the choice for Nani next.

The Lilo & Stitch remake has been rife with controversy from the start, with majority of Disney fans stating they’re tired of the live-action remakes, especially once it was announced that a Moana (2016) remake is also in the works, not even 10 years after its debut. Lilo & Stitch doesn’t yet have a release date, but is expected to start production soon

What do you think about Kaipo Dudoit taking on the role of David? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic down below.