"Not taking the pop star route has felt natural to me.": Sofia Carson opens up about her career choices

Following the release of Carry-On in December 2024, Sofia Carson starred in another movie, The Life List, released on March 28, 2025. After the release, Sofia Carson sat with The New York Times for a video interview.

Upon being asked about her choice to prioritise her career in acting while her former co-stars Dave Cameron and Sabrina Carpenter chose to become pop stars, Sofia Carson replied,

"There have been many men who never quite understood my music choices, to take a lane that wasn’t the pop star lane, that wasn’t the sexy lane. I would be offered songs that, to me, were demeaning toward women, that were derogatory, that were too sexual."

She further continued,

"I was told by one of the most powerful executives in the industry that if I didn’t wear less clothing, sing more about sex or curse more, I would never make it. Not taking the pop star route has felt natural to me."

Carson has collaborated with many famous artists in her music career, including Alan Walker, Jimin, and Matteo Bocelli.

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Sofia Carson shows her interest in working with Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, and more

Sofia Carson has previously worked with many recognized directors, including Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Carry-On, and Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who directed Purple Hearts. Her new movie, The Life List, was directed by Adam Brooks, who is famous for Definitely, Maybe and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

When she was asked about whose career she wished to emulate, the actress replied,

"I long to emulate the careers of Barbra Streisand and Cher — women who redefined what it was to be a woman in this industry — to be a director, a producer, an executive, a musician, a songwriter."

Sofia further shared the names of artists she wants to work with in the future by adding,

"I’d love to work with Greta Gerwig, Baz Luhrmann, Christopher Nolan, Sofia Coppola. I’d love to do theater, and I want to keep making movies and music that make me happy."

In her latest release, The Life List, Carson plays the role of a woman who must complete a list of goals she wrote as a child to fulfill her late mother’s wishes and claim her inheritance. On being asked whether she has a Life List for herself, the actress answered,

"I did. Some of the things I’ve already checked off: My dream was to sing with Andrea Bocelli, and I had the honor of performing with the maestro many times and releasing two songs with him. Being a UNICEF ambassador was on my list, and my work with them is now the most important part of everything I do."

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The Life List is now streaming on Netflix. Other famous movies of Sofia Carson include Descendants and Feel The Beat.