Dara Reneé Reveals How 'Role Model' China Anne McClain Encouraged Her on Descendants: 'Angel on Earth' (Exclusive)

Dara Reneé was on cloud 9 as she worked with some of her biggest role models for Descendants: The Rise of Red. 

In the new Disney+ film, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series alum stars as the aunt of Uma, played by China Anne McClain, who is someone Reneé has looked up to for a very long time. 

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, the actress recalls meeting McClain for the first time at an autograph signing for her 2011 Disney Channel series A.N.T. Farm. 

“China was so nice to me,” she remembers. “Even at that age, I was like, ‘When I do what I love, I want to be like that to people who support me. That is how I want to act,’ because she was so gracious.”

“She said I looked beautiful. That was the first time a role model has ever said that to me, so I carried that with me,” she adds. 

When it came time to work with McClain on set, Reneé says she “exceeded” her expectations calling her the “kindest person inside and out.” 

“China Anne McClain is truly an angel on earth,” she continues. “I will say that for the people in the back, I want everybody to know because she treated me with such kindness. I am so grateful for that. We talked and we had a heart-to-heart. I was crying because I was like, ‘I can't believe I was in a trailer with China Anne McClain and we're just talking.’” 

During their conversation, Reneé says McClain gave her profound advice about her career. “She said for me to keep going, not even just in this movie but in this industry,” she says. “We had a conversation about being a human in this industry and how tough it is. She guided me and literally gave me so much just knowledge on surviving this industry. She is truly a legend in my eyes.” 

Of course, McClain wasn’t the only role model Reneé had the privilege of working with. During PEOPLE’s set visit for the final season of HSMTMTS in 2022, the actress gushed about how excited she was to work with Brandy, who reprises her role as Cinderella alongside Paolo Montalban as King Charming. 

“I am still starstruck,” she said at the time. “I'm going to meet my role model. I literally grew up with her Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Godmother.”

“To just share the screen with such a powerful human being who has changed so many lives for the better, including my own, I just feel so blessed and I feel so grateful,” Reneé added. 

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Descendants: The Rise of Red is currently streaming on Disney+.