Kelly Marie Tran on being cast as Disney's 1st Southeast Asian princess: 'It feels like a crazy dream'
Kelly Marie Tran said it "feels like a crazy dream" to be voicing Disney's first Southeast Asian princess in the upcoming fantasy film, "Raya and the Last Dragon."
During an appearance on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, the actress spoke about filming the animated movie during the pandemic.
"Oh my gosh, it is so special," she said when asked about the significance of playing Disney's first Southeast Asian princess. "It feels insane -- it feels like a crazy dream. It's wild to be part of this thing that is so much bigger than me -- that has so much legacy behind it."
Tran is making history as the first actress of Southeast Asian descent to lead a Disney animated movie. She also made history as first woman of color to have a leading role in a "Star Wars" film -- 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
Tran said she is "really grateful and excited" to share "Raya and the Last Dragon" with the world.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tran said she recorded most of her lines from home.
"It was definitely interesting ... we basically taped a bunch of sound blankets on to the wall and that was the voiceover booth that we created," she said. "It was basically like a little makeshift fort, and that's where a majority of the film was recorded."
When it is safe to do so, Tran said she would love to dress up as Raya and visit Disney's parks, pretending she is one of the "normal characters working there."
"Raya and the Last Dragon" hits theaters and is available to stream on Disney+ with Premier Access on March 5.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and "Good Morning America."
