'Feel the Beat': Meet Sofia Carson, Wolfgang Novogratz and Donna Lynne Champlin, the cast of Netflix's family flick
A small-town girl with big-city dreams is a story you can never get tired of watching. Starring Sofia Carson, Wolfgang Novogratz and Donna Lynne Champlin in leading roles, Netflix's new comedy-drama 'Feel the Beat' is a love letter, of sorts, to small towns, chasing your dreams and never giving up.
An ensemble dance movie, it focuses on a young hopeful who aspires to make it big as a professional dancer. However, she faces a major setback on the day of her make-it or break-it audition and she completely blows it with the words, 'You're never going to make it into Broadway' hanging on her head. Her career is practically over, or so she thinks.
With her tail tucked behind her, April heads back to her hometown, Wisconsin, where she is reluctantly recruited to train a group of misfits for a dance competition that is only two weeks away. When she realizes that the judging panel for the competition comprises some well known Broadway names, she readily accepts the offer to train the kids. And while she's at it, she just might reconcile with her former flame (Novogratz) as the two skirt around each other, preparing their proteges for the dance battle that could just be April's ticket back into Broadway. There are also some life-time lessons to be learned.
If you're excited to watch the new Netflix offering, then why not meet the talents that breathe life into this fun family flick?
Sofia Carson
Sofia Carson was born Sofia Daccarett Char, to Colombian-American parents, in Ft Lauderdale Florida. After graduating from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Carson attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to pursue an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in International Relations. Her entertainment career began when she was a teen and he attended the In Motion Dance Studio, where she was was a pet of the IMPAC Youth Ensemble Program. Carson is also a singer in the Pop and Latin genre and is signed to BMI records, since 2012.
Her acting career began in 2014, when she made a brief appearance on 'Austin & Ally' and 'Faking It'. She also played a notable character in the Freeform drama 'Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists' in 2019. Carson has even lent her voice for Sandgirl in Disney XD's 'Spiderman'. However, she's primarily known for her portrayal of Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', in the hit Disney Channel film franchise, 'Descendants'. She is very good friends with fellow Disney star and singer, Sabrina Carpenter, former girl group Fifth Harmony and fellow Latina singer, Becky G. Carson is trilingual, being fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Wolfgang Novogratz
Wolfgang Novogratz hails from Los Angeles, California and is the son of well-known celebrity interior-designers and television personalities, Robert and Cortney Novogratz. His parents headline their own television shows, '9 By Design' on Bravo and 'Home by Novogratz' on HGTV. He has also been a part of his parents' HGTV show 'Design by Novogratz'. He is one of seven children, his siblings comprising four brothers and two sisters. Novogratz completed his school education at Harvard-Westlake School, LA and is even a part of its basketball team.
Novogratz made his acting debut in the Julia Jones directed short movie 'Bucket' (2017). He is particularly well known for his roles in Netflix's 'Sierra Burgess is a Loser' and 'The Last Summer.' In 2018, he played Dave aka 'Rando Dude' in the action-thriller film, 'Assassination Nation'. He also starred in the Netflix series 'The Half of It'.
Donna Lynne Champlin
Donna Lynne Champlin is an OBIE and Drama Desk awardee, notable for her work in Broadway. She was born in Rochester, New York to a mother, who was a technical writer and her father, a scientist. She graduated with high honors from Carnegie Mellon University. Champlin is also the recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation award and a Presidential Scholar in Arts. She attended the University of Oxford on an Advanced Acting Scholarship in Shakespeare and Chekhov and The Vira I Heinze Grant to study abroad. Besides theatre, Champlin is best known for her work on the CW network's show 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' as Paul Proctor. She also briefly appeared on 'The Good Wife' as Myra Weymouth.
Camplin is married to actor, Andrew Arrow and the couple share a son, Charlie. In addition to being an actress, director, writer, stand-up comedienne, pianist, composer, musical director, and choreographer, she also teaches master classes in acting at many prestigious colleges including her alma mater Carnegie Mellon University, Hartt and New York University. Champlin is a freelance writer for Comedy Central.
'Feel the Beat' premieres June 19 on Netflix.