Kaipo Dudoit is Disney’s new best man in ‘Lilo & Stitch’

Why David matters

When I bring up the many video essays and articles calling David “the best man Disney has ever written,” Dudoit laughs. “I think I already knew this kind of thing,” he says. Growing up, he noticed that “in media…men were always portrayed as being tough and always rescuing the girl and always having this aggressive behavior, especially when they’re brown. Brown men—you don’t see a softness to them.”

“I think I was aware of that since I was a little kid, and I very much resonated with that,” he continues. “I was a very shy kid, but I was very nice to everybody, and I tried to bring that with me as I grew up.”

When I ask if he felt pressure playing such an adored character, he shakes his head. No pressure, luckily, he says—it was something he recognized. “I knew I had it within me, because that’s kind of what I tried to aspire to be—to be like a David,” he says.

Who is David in 2025?

When building his version of David, Dudoit started with the script. “You just go through and see what is being said and what kind of things he does,” he tells me. “That’s where you start to figure out who he is.”

In this remake, we see David as a lifeguard, surfer, and a lūʻau performer. “He loves the water and the ocean—that's kind of like his place of play, but also where his job is...him being a lifeguard means that he doesn't just do water stuff for fun…his job is to help protect people and help keep people safe.” For Dudoit, this contributed to his understanding of David: “(that it’s) his nature to protect other people.” 

As for David also being a lūʻau performer, Dudoit says, “I just likened it to a lot of Hawaiian people here that have three, four jobs.” Dudoit is—in fact—an actor, model, hula dancer, and a licensed massage therapist. 

Barry Keoghan’s part

Though his performance and understanding of the character came from what he calls “an amalgamation” of sources, Dudoit credits director Dean Fleischer Camp with giving him some unexpected but thoughtful prep material. “(Dean) would send me some clips, parts of other movies to pique my interest in how I should be directing my performance.”

I had to ask him to name at least one of these films. “It was the one with Barry Keoghan. He played this…I forgot what the title was called,” Dudoit says.

We both quickly clarify it’s not Saltburn. At the end of our chat, Dudoit remembers. It’s Martin McDonagh’s 2022 dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin, which won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

One standout moment: a scene when Keoghan’s character confesses his feelings to a woman who turns him down. “He was very specific in how he acted and how he came across as being kind of awkward, but kind of forthcoming,” says Dudoit. “It was a great introduction to how Dean works.”

When two Davids meet

One of the most surreal moments for Dudoit on set came when he met his predecessor Lee—who, along with Tia Carrere (the original voice of Nani), makes a cameo in the film. “I was just in the lei outfit,” Dudoit laughs. “So it’s just like a little thing that’s covering the under parts and then this lei part, and then I see (Jason) across the set.” Dudoit remembers thinking, “This is a surreal moment. This is really strange for David—actual David—to be talking and seeing cartoon David. But it was really cool. He’s such a nice, nice, nice guy and very down to earth.”

Though he was definitely starstruck by Lee, Dudoit managed to keep it professional. “I always have this understanding that you’re not supposed to be too fan-girly or else it’s going to be weird for the other person,” he says. “So I was just like, ‘Hey, it’s nice to meet you. I play David. I’m so grateful for everything that you’ve done, and I’m so honored to be a part of this legacy with you.’”

Working with Stitch

Lilo & Stitch marks Dudoit’s second-ever full-length feature—and his first major studio blockbuster. A trained theater actor, Dudoit credits his first film My Partner (2023) with getting him comfortable with cameras and angles. Lilo & Stitch, on the other hand? It definitely taught him how to use his imagination a little more. 

In this live-action remake, Dudoit’s David is the character most often seen carrying Stitch—including a moment near the end of the film when Stitch gestures for David to pick him up. That moment, in particular, has been making the rounds on social media. 

Since Stitch couldn’t physically be on set, Dudoit (along with Maia Kealoha who plays Lilo and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani) would act opposite a variety of stand-ins: stuffies, a puppet with detachable magnetic ears, and a real-life pug. Other times: a blank spot where Stitch would be. “It helped me a lot as an actor to be creative because you honestly didn’t know what (Stitch) was going to do,” Dudoit says. “You kind of knew. But yeah, just a lot of imagination that I had to deal with and it was just really fun.”

When asked whether Stitch voice actor and creator Chris Sanders was ever physically present or if his dialogue was ever replayed on set, Dudoit shakes his head. “You don’t even know what he sounds like anymore,” he laughs. “I would periodically check in with the original movie to hear things, but a lot of it was just improvising or creating it in your head. You’re just talking to a wall the entire time—or a puppet.”

We had to talk about the pug. “There were a couple scenes, especially when I was carrying Stitch,” Dudoit adds. “I think (the pug) was the most important one for me to use—just because of the weight of the dog helped me figure out where he would lie and how he would be moving.”

And how was the pug himself? “That pug was cool,” Dudoit says. “He was a cool dude.”