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Culture > Entertainment

17 Things You Didn’t Know About Dove Cameron

Hannah McConnaughey

Hollywood darling Dove Cameron launched her acting career as a teen with a challenge few actors dream of: playing two characters at once. After being cast as twin sisters on the Disney sitcom Liv and Maddie, Dove went on to star in Disney Channel Original Movies and live musicals, and she’s teased her own music. That’s just the beginning of her resume, and she’s only 21. So if you don’t know Dove’s name yet, you will soon. I can’t wait to see where she goes next. In the meantime, here are 17 things you might not know about her. 

1. Her name wasn’t always Dove—and it’s not a stage name either 

Though she was born Chloe Celeste Hosterman, she legally changed her first name for the sweetest reason. 

She explained on Instagram, “I just wanted to take this time to explain my name I all of you lovelies, because I have seen that there is quite a bit of confusion. My birth name is Chloe. But my daddy called me Dove/Dovey as a nickname since I was very small; just over a year old. As some of you know, my father passed away a few years ago, right around the time I started acting. So, I decided to change it legally in honor of him, which gives me great joy every day that I was able to do something so lasting and permanent to pay homage to his memory. But I still go by Chloe to some family members and Ryan. And some Starbucks employees. So Dove is not a stage name, it’s actually a name that means a lot to me for many reasons.”

Many celebrities go by a different name just because it’s catchier, but I love the meaningful story behind Dove’s name choice!

2. Her Twitter is full of pep talks and wisdom 

She practically radiates optimism and positivity.

3. She’s from Seattle

Dove grew up on Bainbridge Island, one ferry ride away from the Space Needle, and loved it, even though she moved to Los Angeles at age 14. The Seattle Times reports, “She says she still returns to Washington, though, and talks of missing Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Dick’s Drive-In, The Triple Door and the ferries.” I bet she’s a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, too. 

4. She speaks fluent French 

“I went to Paris a lot growing up because, by blood, we’re crazy French, and my parents wanted their kids to have two feet in their culture,” she told Entertainment Weekly. She also spent summers in India, where her parents’ jewelry business was based. 

5. Though she starred as twins on Liv and Maddie, that wasn’t the role she auditioned for

Originally the show was called Bits & Pieces and Dove auditioned to play just one character: a girl named Alanna. The blended-family storyline didn’t do well with focus groups, though, and Disney came back with the announcement that they were changing the show to be about twin sisters. “I was so excited, because I was like, they see potential in me,” Dove told Twist magazine. “But then the second thought, right after that, was like, I’m going to fall on my face, I don’t even know how to play one character, let alone two. I was so green, they trusted me with a lot.”

6. Fame didn’t always come easily to her

“The first time I got recognized, I had a panic attack and had to go into a Nordstrom for half an hour and cry,” Dove told Entertainment Weekly. Since Nordstrom got its start in Seattle, it might have been comforting in such a surreal moment.

7. She earned musical theater acclaim for her role in Hairspray Live!

The internet loved her performance as bubbly yet villainous Amber Von Tussle—so much so that she got her own Twitter moment named “Dove Cameron is the undisputed M.V.P. of Hairspray Live.” E! News even said she out-sang costar Ariana Grande in their group number, calling Dove “the true star of [the] song.”

8. And even more praise for her role in Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Bowl

Dove had only ten days to prepare for a weekend of performances (three, to be exact) of the classic ABBA musical at the Hollywood Bowl, which holds an audience of almost 18,000. She and fellow Disney alum Corbin Bleu, who played her fiancé, shared a glimpse of their dance routine on Instagram. 

Corbin opened up to Broadway World about acting with Dove. “When I first auditioned for the show, I asked who I would be playing opposite me. And even though they could not tell me at first, they told me she was someone I would really like. And when I found out it was Dove, I was thrilled since I respect her and her talent very much.”

Entertainment Weekly noted her talent as well, calling her a standout that “ground[ed] the show with poise and pitch-perfect melody.” One blogger praised her “buttery singing voice…that felt like a warm hug.”

9. Her hair care secret is probably already in your kitchen 

“I don’t curl it or straighten it or blow dry it on a daily basis because I’m blonde and it would just be gone at this point if I did,” she said. “I put olive oil in it overnight and then I wash it out in the morning, for some of that shine life.” If you’re trying this at home, coconut oil works, too!

10. She’s a Hamilton fan and has a surprising connection to the show 

Dove’s Liv and Maddie costar Jordan Fisher joined the Hamilton cast for a few months to play the dual roles of Alexander Hamilton’s son and best friend. Dove gushed over his performance, writing on Instagram, “cancelled my flight home to stay an extra day & see this kid KILL his first show on broadway. fully screamed every time he was on stage//sobbed at curtain call. so proud of you jj. promise to be in every audience you ever play to.” If that isn’t #friendshipgoals, what is?

She clearly loves the show for more than just its actors, though. Dove also posted a video on Twitter of her and Corbin Bleu singing a Hamilton mash-up.

11. She’s close friends with her Liv and Maddie body doubles 

 

A post shared by Emmy Buckner (@emmybuckner) on

As Dove has said, “To make one girl look like two girls, it actually takes three girls.” To make the twin magic happen, Disney brought on body doubles Shelby Wulfert and Emmy Buckner, and the rest is history. The trio quickly became close—dubbing themselves “The Blondetourage”—as they played the twin sisters on Liv and Maddie for four years. Dove has even called Emmy her “best friend.” 

12. She almost got Hailee Steinfeld’s role in True Grit

Hailee Steinfeld had some stiff competition for the breakout role that earned her an Oscar nomination. “The first and only thing I went out for when I lived in Seattle was True Grit,” she told Zimbio. “I had no training and I didn’t even have a headshot. It ended up coming down to Hailee, who got the role, one other girl, and me. That’s when my parents decided that was enough to move me out to L.A.”

Hollywood later brought her and Hailee back together again as costars in Dove’s first non-Disney movie, Barely Lethal, which is about a teen assassin. 

13. She has an ex-fiancé

After dating Dove for three years, Liv and Maddie star Ryan McCartan (who played Maddie’s boyfriend Diggie) announced in a now-deleted Instagram post that they were engaged. He referred to her as his “fiancée,” adding, “I can’t believe I get to call you that. Thanks for saying yes.”

However, the pair broke up less than six months later. Ryan confirmed on Twitter, “Dove has decided this relationship isn’t what she wants. We still love each other very much. Please be sensitive, as this is painful.”

14. She used to be in a band called The Girl and the Dreamcatcher 

The other half of the musical duo was Ryan McCartan, and when the two split, so did the band. However, they did release an EP, Negatives, before breaking up; you can listen to it on Spotify or YouTube. 

15. She’s a Whovian

In fact, Doctor Who is tied with Pushing Daisies for her favorite show of all time. She admitted to RadioTimes.com, “I am a BIG Doctor Who fan. I am one Doctor Who mug away from being captain of the Doctor Who fans.” 

As she told Access Hollywood, “I tweeted back in like, 2011…’It’s my goal in life to be the first female Doctor Who.'” But she has no hard feelings toward Jodie Whittaker, who is the first female Doctor Who. “I’m actually super stoked about that,” she said. 

16. Bella Thorne has a total girl crush on her

“Honestly, I do want to wife her. She’s just so beautiful and talented,” Bella told Teen Vogue. “She’s funny and she has this like beautiful angelic image and it’s just like ‘ah Dove.’ It totally goes with her name and then you meet her and that girl is down. She’s so cool, talks with a lower register voice like me. I don’t meet many girls like that so that’s cool and she’s just like so chill and open you know and you just don’t meet people like that so it’s really, I really like her.” 

17. She wants to join the cast of Riverdale

Who wouldn’t? But it sounds like Dove might be a perfect fit for the show, since an executive producer hinted that Riverdale may introduce Sabrina the Teenage Witch in future seasons. No official plans to incorporate Sabrina—or cast Dove—have been announced, but Dove said in an interview, “I’d definitely be open to it. I love the character Sabrina, obviously. I was a huge fan of the original Archie Comics, that’s like all I read when I was little, so, yeah, I’d be open to it.” 

Hannah is a senior studying marketing and English at the University of Washington and is the Editor of the UW Her Campus chapter. She was also a Summer 2017 editorial intern for Her Campus Media. When not editing, writing, or pitching articles, she's probably at brunch.