Dove Cameron Exclusive! Disney Couple Dishes About Love, Partnership, And Their New Video [Part 2 Of 2]
As told in Part One of this exclusive interview by the Inquisitr, newly engaged Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan talk about what it’s like to be in a creative partnership with one’s significant other.
The pair best known for Disney’s sitcom Liv and Maddie also collaborate musically in their group, The Girl and the Dreamcatcher. They just released a new video for their song, “Someone You Like”.
But the couple agrees that it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses from the beginning. In fact, when they first met, they didn’t even like each other.
“We both insulted each other within the first five minutes of being in one another’s presence.
“But then five minutes after that, when the Liv and Maddie producers told us to ‘Stand really close, look in each other’s eyes and act like you like each other,’ (quote), we found that we had quite a different chemical reaction to one another.
“Polar opposites then, polar opposites now. But now it works to our advantage as a business team, and as a real-life, real-love couple.
“We definitely haven’t lost our individual intensity or our mutual affinity for stubbornness, but, as it turns out, when you’re stubborn in the same direction, it’s called ‘business partners’, and we’ve found that title suits us quite nice.”
NB: What are the pros and cons in a “working relationship”?
Dove and Ryan: “Pros are getting to sing and collaborate and create together. Highly romantic and spiritual.”
“Pros also include getting to spend more time together and getting to experience tons of new places and new people together.
“Big shows are never scary because we’re at each others’ side.
“Only real con is sometimes you just want to have a meal and be romantic, but there’s always work to return to.”
NB: Dove, you have a large fan base of teens and tweens. What is your responsibility as a role model?
Dove: “I believe one’s responsibility as a role model begins and ends with their perception of what a good role model is.”
“My version of a good role model is everything that I have strived to become over the years, as I have a deep desire to live an honest life and give relentlessly and openly to people who look up to me.
“I don’t want to have to think about what is right, I want to live right. And what that means to me, is going to be different to some of my fans, some of their parents, and some other role models.
“I personally believe in progress. I think one of the most debilitating and harming things you can do to a child is to keep them in the dark. So I love to openly talk about sexual orientation, confrontation, mental illness, emotional struggles, feminism, equality and other (sadly) polarizing topics, because I think my fan base deserves to be exposed to more than just favorite ice cream flavors and embarrassing first date stories.
“I also think it is my personal responsibility, with my own strange set of life circumstances, to share hardships, and be a picture of strength and resilience for young people who are in intense times in their lives.”
NB: I know you have done some interviews about your past and bullying episodes. Can you share some advice for girls who are currently enduring bullies in their daily life? How would you advise them to handle it?
Dove: “I experienced intense bullying throughout my years in school, and all from different people at different schools. This gave me the opportunity to observe similarities between these groups.”
“I love to use a tool with people who ask me this: I tell them to think of the happiest, most fulfilled, secure and satisfied person that they know. And then, once they have a face in mind, I ask them if they could ever imagine that person doing something to anyone like their bullies do to them? They all, of course, answer “no”, because anyone who is happy would never want to cause another pain.
“Bullies act out and punish others because they are so tired of punishing themselves for something that you, an outsider, will most likely never be made aware of.
“Showing kindness, but not getting too close, is usually a good course of action. They won’t understand, and their negativity will be neutralized by your positivity.
“You won’t necessarily end up with a new best friend, but you definitely will be leaving a damaged soul better than you found it, and that kind of selfless generosity is like a shield around your heart.”
Talent runs rampant within this team. Besides performing, Dove and Ryan write all their own material for their songs, but Dove says fame isn’t going to distance her from fans.
“I don’t want to be unattainable. I want to be human, and a friend.”
[Image via Helga Esteb/Shutterstock]
