Descendants: The Rise of Red is yet another successful entry in the Descendants franchise. A jaw-dropping 6.7M viewers watched the film in its first three days of streaming on Disney+. It captured a new generation of fans. The film follows the rebellious Red (Kylie Cantrall) who is invited to enroll in the prestigious Auradon Prep, despite the isolation of Wonderland, ruled by her mother the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), from the kingdom. When it is revealed that the Queen of Hearts plans to take over the school, Red teams up with Ella (Malia Baker), the daughter of Cinderella (Brandy Norwood), to go back in time to Merlin Academy to prevent her mother from becoming so wicked.

One of the VK that Red and Ella encounter in their time-traveling adventure is Uliana, the baby sister of Ursula. Played by High School Musical: The Musical: This Series star Dara Reneé, Uliana bullies the younger versions of their mothers (played by Ruby Rose Turner and Morgan Dudley). For Reneé, the role of Uliana was the opportunity of a lifetime. “I’ve always wanted to be VK,” admitted Reneé. “To be able to audition for Uliana was a dream in itself.” Reneé worked hard to create a backstory explaining why her character was so mean. “She felt like she would get bullied by Ursula otherwise,” explained Reneé. “Uliana would rather be hated by the school than picked on by her sister.”

In addition to embracing her inner baddie, Reneé has made friends for life with her series co-stars. “Our cast is so special to me,” said Reneé. “These people are so talented and so kind and so amazing.” Reneé knows it’s a “blessing” to be part of the “new era” of the Descendants with a group that “respects the franchise” as much as she does. They even keep in touch with multiple group chats. “One is called Merlin Academy and that has all of us [in it],” said Reneé. When asked who is the most active, Reneé did not hesitate. “Joshua [Colley, who plays the younger version of Hook].” “We’ll always send each other TikToks,” said Reneé.

Reneé stopped by the DECIDER studio after her incredible performance at Elsie Fest to talk about all things Descendants, about getting into character and about the upcoming Descendants/ Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour.

DECIDER: The fan reaction to Descendants: The Rise of Red has been so overwhelmingly positive. What’s been the wildest part of this experience so far?

DARA RENEÉ: The wildest part of this experience would have to be seeing people cosplay as our characters. I knew our movie was connecting with audiences, but seeing people crocheting and sewing every single little detail of our costumes into their own looks? I was like, “what is happening?” I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Even with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, we never had people dressed up as our characters. It’s a little insane, but I’m so, so grateful.

What I love most about the Descendants cast is how incredibly tight you are with one another. You can’t go into one of your Instagram posts without seeing that—

All of us? [Laughs]

Right! How important has the Descendants family been to you during this process?

So important! Our cast is so special to me. These people are so talented and so kind and so amazing. Even when we were filming, they helped me and taught me so many different lessons just by being their wonderful, beautiful selves. I’ve wanted to be a part of the Descendants since I was a little kid. It’s been a blessing to be a part of this new era with a group that feels exactly the way I do and respects the franchise as much as I do.

Is there a group chat?

[Laughs] Yeah, there’s a couple of group chats. One is called Merlin Academy and that’s all of us.

Who is the most active in the Merlin Academy group chat?

Joshua [Colley]! Joshua is the most active. Well, so are Kylie and Malia and Ruby. Once one starts up in the group chat, we all chime in. We always send each other TikToks that people have made inspired by our scenes and characters. We’ll just be like, “oh my gosh, look at this, look at this, look at this.”

You are such a nice, joyful person, which makes your performance as the evil Uliana even more amazing. Why were you so excited to play a VK?

VKs are freaking amazing. When I was watching the original Descendants, the OG VKs were literally impeccable. I’ve always wanted to be a VK. To be able to audition for Uliana was a dream in itself. I was like, “I”ll play a tree as long as I can be on the VK side.” When I found out that I was going to be Uliana, I was like, “oh my gosh, praise God.” When I saw the costume, everything came together for the character. I love playing a villain. I recommend it for everyone.

Uliana is the aunt of Uma, played by China Anne McClain. How excited were you to see China return for Descendants: The Rise Of Red?

Shout out to China Anna McClain. That’s the queen right there! I knew China from House of Payne, A.N.T. Farm, and Daddy’s Little Girls. I’ve been such a fan of hers, and I’ve always dreamed of working with her. The last time I met her in person was when I was in line at the Sherman Oaks Galleria down in Woodland Hills. She was doing a signing for A.N.T. Farm, and I stood in line for three hours with my fedora, leopard shirt and zebra pants. She said I looked fabulous. I’m very thankful that she said that because in hindsight, it was a rough look [laughs]. She was just so kind. I remember thinking to myself, “if I ever get to that level, I want to treat everybody the way she treated me in line.”

You are the first person to play Uliana in Descendants lore. Did you have a backstory in your mind for her, other than her being Ursula’s baby sister?

Yes [laughs]. I’m a theater kid, so I did full character development. I had a journal and a playlist and everything. Shout out to Tim [Federle] because when I first got the role of Courtney in HSMTMTS, he made all of us packets telling us what we should do for our character and everything. I took it with me to Descendants and Uliana.

To me, Uliana is very misunderstood. She comes from this big family. King Triton is their brother. Everyone just expected Uliana to be naturally evil because Ursula is so bad. She felt pressure to live up to Ursula’s reputation when she got to Merlin Academy. She felt like she would get bullied by Ursula otherwise. Uliana would rather be hated by the school than picked on by her sister. Of course, none of this is proven to be fact. It’s just how I interpreted the character .

Uliana is involved in a couple of knockout numbers, including “Perfect Revenge.” How long did you have to rehearse for the movie?

We had such amazing choreographers. They were so cool that it didn’t even feel like rehearsal. It felt like we were playing. We had a full month to rehearse the stunts, the choreography, and the blocking. Three hours a day for choreography might seem like a lot, but time really flew by. I’d be dancing for an hour, then up in the air for an hour, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime.

You mention being airborne. How did you work Uliana’s CGI tentacles into your performance because you were really high in the air during some scenes?

First of all, I had to wear a backpack with pool noodles sticking out. They represented my tentacles for blocking purposes. It was so fun. I had just gotten over my fear of heights—shout out again to Tim and HSMTMTS—so I was excited to be in the air. All the in-air choreography was such a core workout. I have abs now.

Something I keep seeing on TikTok is Uliana’s transition to a flamingo. Describe filming that sequence?

I was so in the moment. Too in the moment, maybe! They didn’t put this in the movie, but there was a take in which I dropped on the floor and jerked my body all around as if the transformation was painful. I really went hardcore. After we decided to pull it back a little, they asked if I could sound like a flamingo. So, I was up all night trying to sound like a Flamingo. You hear the Flamingo in the movie? That’s me [laughs]. It’s my voice and a flamingo sound mixed together. The sound was originally supposed to be haunting, but it was a little too scary for the kids. I loved how it all turned out though.

The end of Descendants: The Rise Of Red definitely leaves things open for a sequel. How do you imagine Uliana would fit into a potential sequel?

Well, you know what? I’ll pitch it to you like I pitched to Disney [laughs]. No, I’m just kidding. Though, I think when you time travel, things get messed up, right? What I’m guessing is that the portal has been left open and Uliana and her gang, Bridget and Ella, all sneak through the portal and get to meet older versions of ourselves. Maybe I’m just envisioning this because I want to have a scene with both Rita Ora and Brandy. Who knows? We all come in, we have a song and we cause some trouble. Really, I just want to go to Wonderland and meet Rita.

You are about to embark on the Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour next year. What are you most excited about?

Everything! I can’t believe I’m going on tour. Thank you, Disney [laughs]. I’ve never experienced anything like this or been on tour . I’ve never been to most of the cities that we’ll be visiting. I can’t wait to travel and see new places and meet the fans. I’m so freaking excited.