Disney is really not letting up with its live-action adaptions. The House of Mouse seems to be frantic to churn out more content even if it means recycling their old ideas. This time around it’s Lilo & Stitch getting the live-action treatment, leaving us all wondering what the little blue alien is going to wind up looking like when he is no longer just an animation. With many characters, we don’t have to wonder, as we know exactly what they will look like, such as David Kawena, the romantic interest.
In the movie, David is a friend of Nani’s, one who obviously appears to be a little sweet on Lilo’s older sister. He never pushes himself on her though, and only supports her with the monumental challenge of trying to raise Lilo while holding out a job that will allow them to stay together. Much like Nani, David is also young and has his own troubles; he is clumsy and not the brightest bulb, which means he also struggles to hold down a job, but he makes up for it with his kindness, patience, and occasional wisdom.
One of the most endearing traits of his character is that he sees Nani and Lilo as part of his family, his ‘ohana’. He has a good relationship with Lilo as well and treats her like a little sister, taking her out surfing and offering her words of advice. We do not know much about his background, but he aspires for the same bond that Nani has with Lilo, claiming it is the tightest ‘ohana he has ever known, and he wishes he had his own close family bond, implying his family is a little estranged or that he has none.
He may not be the biggest character in the Disney pantheon, but he is well-loved by fans for his kind and mature nature.
The casting for the role of David in the live-action adaption has already had some controversy. The role originally went to Kahiau Machado and was immediately met with backlash when it was discovered that the actor had used a racial slur in one of his Spotify playlists. There was also some reporting that social media posts made by the actor resurfaced in which he had used racial slurs. Only a week after having cast Machado, he was replaced by Kaipo Dudoit.
Who is Kaipo Dudoit?
Dudoit appears to be a native Hawaiian based off of his Instagram page and is very much a newcomer on the scene with only a few credits to his name on IMDb. He had a guest role in the 2020 Magnum P.I. series as well as starring in the independent film My Partner. Lilo and Stitch will be his first mainstream feature film. He would also appear to work as a model and hulu dancer, something we are sure will be very useful when bringing the character of David to life.
We have some time to wait till we see Dudoit (that’s if he can keep his own image squeaky clean) in Lilo & Stitch as the film is due to be released in May of 2024.