The Untold Truth Of Dove Cameron
Dove Cameron, who was born Chloe Celeste Hosterman, received her big break while playing dual roles on Disney Channel's Liv and Maddie. When the show ended in 2017, there was no doubt that Cameron had a bright future in the entertainment industry ahead of her.
She's since kept ties to the channel that kickstarted her career by starring in the Descendants films, though she has also proven that she's a multi-faceted entertainer by snagging the role of Amber in NBC's Hairspray Live! and by landing a recording contract with Columbia Records. Sheesh. Is there anything she can't accomplish?
As she continues to work non-stop on her career, Cameron has used her social media accounts to connect with her fans on a deeper level, opening up about how she's dealt with anxiety and revealing how she coped with the aftermath of her father's suicide. No topic is off limits for the Emmy award-winning actress, but there's still so much about her that even diehard fans don't know. This is the untold truth of Dove Cameron.
A family full of 'crazy French' people
Dove Cameron was born in Seattle, Wash. to a pair of jewelry importers, and the entire family, including her older sister, Claire Hosterman (pictured; right), spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to various countries, she told Entertainment Weekly.
While other kids her age were "super sheltered" in American culture, Cameron said her formative years were spent in "huge warehouses and marble cutteries in India." The family also traveled to Paris frequently, which was perfect for them since they're "crazy French" — her words, not ours!
"My parents wanted their kids to have two feet in their culture. So there was a lot of travel, a lot of different religions and cultures and classes," she said.
Spending so much time in the City of Love meant Cameron was also able to pick up on the language. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star told her Twitter followers, "I'm French, I speak French, & I grew up going there a lot. Das all." Magnifique!
Quirky eating habits
In an interview with Delish, Cameron made a shocking admission that would make any Michelin star-rated chef cringe. When describing one of her favorite food combos, which she described as a "life hack," the actress said, "You know how people make cake pops? You take cake and mash it up? ... I would take brownies and make them into little balls and dip them in ranch. Don't judge me! That sounds like the worst, most disgusting thing in the world, but it's unbelievable. It's unmatched." Um, barf!
It was at that moment when she realized just how wacky the condiment-smothered dessert sounded, so she was quick to label it her "one embarrassing food quirk."
So, how did she stumble upon this weird concoction to begin with? The actress said she once accidentally dropped her brownie into her lunch, ranch dressing got onto it, and voilá! Her favorite treat was born.
"It's the same kind of sensation as dipping your fries in shake," she said, as she attempted to justify her guilty pleasure.
We're going to have to pass on her food of choice and just take her word for it.
She chews gum ... a lot
If you've ever tried to hold a lengthy conversation with a piece of gum in your mouth, you're probably aware that, at some point, the chewy blob gets in the way, right? Not to mention, the chomping sound and incessant bubble-blowing can grate on some people's nerves. Well, Cameron has seemingly mastered the art of having a piece of undetected gum in her mouth at all times without annoying any bystanders. She told Delish, "Little secret: Every time you've seen me on camera for anything — this is really unprofessional — but I always have gum in my mouth." Say what?!
We're shocked that directors have never asked her to toss her chewing gum in the trash before she films a scene, but Cameron insisted that it has never gotten in the way nor has it affected her speech. "You can't even tell that I'm chewing it all the time," she said.
Suddenly we have the urge to binge-watch episodes of Liv and Maddie and play "Spot the Gum."
She'll be your instant BFF
In an interview with Cameron for Galore magazine, the interviewer described her initial meeting with the actress by saying: "Talking to Dove is like making an instant friend at a party — someone you spill your entire life story to even though you'll never see them again, and it doesn't get weird."
Though she may have been bullied in school, Cameron's since morphed into one of Hollywood's "it girls," and she has a gaggle of friends to prove it. But her friendly and bubbly personality isn't just reserved for her fellow actors and the media. She actually makes it a priority to treat everyone like they're her BFF.
During that same interview with Galore, Cameron said, "I don't think there's anyone that I've met that I haven't created a bit of a deep relationship with ... It's a really lovely thing to create a relationship with people that might not anticipate that closeness."
Coolest. Celeb. Ever.
She was a 'monster' during her teenage years
Although she radiates positive energy today, there was a point in Cameron's life when she was a typical teen who was going through typical teenage angst. After her dad passed away, Cameron spent the majority of her time with her mom, Bonnie Wallace, and the actress admitted that, when things got tough, she used her mother as her "outlet."
"Oh, man, I love my mom so much and I always have, but I was definitely a monster to her a lot during my teen years," the Disney star told Yahoo! as she looked back at that trying period of her life. "I think it's normal to go through hell together, and I was definitely hard on her."
Over time, her mother learned to create some healthy distance between the two of them, which instilled a sense of independence within the entertainer. "It's hard to be a teenager. It's lonely, and you feel like no one understands you. I think that's natural, and my mother let me have the space to feel that way," she said.
Acting class drop-out
Dove Cameron won an Emmy award for her work on Liv & Maddie: Cali Style, so many people would probably be surprised to learn that Cameron never completed her formal training to perfect her acting skills.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, the actress and singer said, "I don't think I've ever taken an acting class. I took one acting class then I realized it wasn't for me as it's not for everyone and actually my belief on acting is the best actors and the most convincing style of acting come from people who are very observant of other people."
She went on to say that, although she's never been taught by a pro, she has her own method, and it obviously works for her. "Acting school is good for some, it wasn't for me," she said.
She took the unconventional route on her way to critical acclaim, and, fortunately, everything worked out perfectly!
She has a backup plan
At this point, Dove Cameron appears to be a permanent fixture in the entertainment industry. However, if she gets ousted from the acting world for one reason or another, she already has a Plan B in place. "I told myself that if I didn't make it anywhere by the time I was 18, that I would go to fashion school because I've been sewing mostly my own clothes since I was 7, and I've always had a huge interest in fashion," she told the Irish Mirror.
Given that she celebrated her 18th birthday in 2014, we'd say that Cameron the Actress is here to stay ... and fashion school will just have to wait.
But now that she's an international celebrity, she could surely maintain her acting career and launch a side gig in the fashion industry as well, à la fellow Disney alum Zendaya and her brand of trendy footwear.
She's a vintage-loving fashionista
We're used to seeing Dove Cameron all decked out in gorgeous, luxury gowns whenever she hits up the red carpet. And although she likely feels like a princess whenever she wears a new style from a top designer, her one true love is apparently throwback pieces from yesteryear.
When she's not making her own clothes, she's perusing thrift stores to add the perfect vintage pieces to her ever-growing wardrobe. Her appreciation for pre-loved attire began long before she became a Disney Channel star. She told Us Weekly that for her 8th birthday, she showed up to one of Seattle's underground jazz clubs wearing a $30 vintage dress. Fancy shmancy!
Cameron describes herself as "super old-fashion," which could really explain why old school styles make her heart go pitter-patter. "I like to wear lots of pretty vintage dresses and flat shoes," she told IOL, before revealing her favorite piece of clothing of all-time. "I'm in love with a baby blue velvet dress that I bought recently. It's from the '50s and I've adapted it to fit me the way I want. It's beautiful."
Alternative entertainment
We wouldn't blame you if you assumed Dove Cameron spent her early years watching all of her favorite stars, such as Jessica Lange and Winona Ryder, to help perfect her craft. But that couldn't be any further from the truth. The multi-dimensional star told the Irish Mirror that she "grew up without a television" and felt "isolated" in her hometown of Bainbridge Island, Wash. — a small city that's connected to Seattle, Wash. by ferry.
So how did she entertain herself without spending a ton of time in front of a TV screen like other kids her age? She spoke to Entertainment Weekly in 2017, and the outlet revealed Cameron didn't have much structure growing up, so she created it herself by spending her time journaling. Even after moving to Los Angeles and continuing on into adulthood, the actress has kept journaling as a major part of her life. She has even shared pages from her diary, filled with all of her random thoughts, with her devoted fans.