Joshua Colley on His Background in Musical Theater & Playing Hook in Descendants: The Rise of Red

jul 12, 2024

Descendants fans, rejoice, because the fourth installment in the franchise, Descendants: The Rise of Red, is officially here, expanding the beloved universe of Disney heroes and villains even further.

This time around, we see Red, daughter to the Queen of Hearts, team up with Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, time traveling to prevent a disaster in the past—and meeting the younger versions of some of our favorite classic characters in the process. Among them is Captain Hook, played to perfection by Joshua Colley. We had the pleasure of chatting with Joshua to learn about his theater background, the role and so much more in the interview below.

Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Was there any specific a-ha moment that made you realize it was the path for you?

Joshua Colley: Well, my parents did musical theater, so I always grew up around it. I would put on little shows for my family, and they're the ones that saw something in me and encouraged me to pursue it professionally. So it's always been part of my life, and I honestly couldn't imagine doing anything else. I jumped into it when I was 10 on the national tour of Les Miserables. It was the best time of my life, and I learned so much from being a part of that and that really launched my love of the arts.

Joshua colley reaching out

(Photo credit: Austin Martinez)

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SH: What would you say was your first big break?

JC: I would say my first big break was the Netflix movie I did with Rebel Wilson, Senior Year. That was my first big movie role and that was also a life-changing experience. I met so many incredible people on that project that I still call my best friends today. Besides TV and film, I booked my first Broadway show when I was like 11, which was Newsies, which was a huge moment for me.

SH: Were you a fan of the Descendants series before you were cast? What does it mean to you to join such a talented crew?

JC: Oh my God, I was the biggest fan of Descendants. I'm a fan of all of the Disney Channel Original Movies—that was my childhood growing up—so the fact that I get to be a part of such a franchise with such an amazing fan base, I'm so honored. This entire cast is so excited to continue the stories in the Descendants world, and because we are also such fans of the original movies, it means a lot to us to make sure we honor the originals that are so iconic.

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SH: What does it mean to you to play a brand-new version of Captain Hook?

JC: Playing the role of Captain Hook is such a dream come true. When I was 7 years old, for Halloween I went as Captain Hook and my brother went as Peter Pan. I remember us deciding who was going to dress as which character, and I was immediately drawn to Hook because he's such an interesting character, so I really feel like I've been manifesting this part since I was a kid, and I think I made baby Josh proud.

(Photo credit: Austin Martinez)

SH: Would you say you're like Hook in real life? In what ways are you similar, and in what ways are you very different?

JC: I would say I'm pretty confident like Hook, but other than that, I think we're completely different. For one, he's British—which is so fun—but he's also got a lot of layers to him and some devious tendencies. He's very confrontational, which is so different from me, but I feel like everybody has a little Hook in them when they need it.

SH: What was your favorite memory from the set? Any standout moments with the star-studded cast?

JC: I have so many favorite memories from set. It's so hard to choose, but the one that always comes to mind is when we all had lunch together in Morgan [Dudley]'s trailer in our costumes. It was towards the end of filming, and we had all grown so close to each other, and looking around and seeing this family that I had made—I really soaked it in. These people are incredible, and they're such wonderful role models for the kids and adults that are going to be watching. I'm so proud of all of them.

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SH: Is there anything you can't wait for fans to see in the movie?

JC: I'm really excited for people to see the musical numbers—specifically "Life is Sweeter," which is the number where everyone's introduced at Merlin Academy. It's the one time that almost all the characters are on screen together. It encapsulates the movie pretty wonderfully, and it's also a bop.

(Photo credit: Austin Martinez)

SH: Where else can we see your work right now?

JC: You can see my work in Dead Boy Detectives and Senior Year on Netflix, and you can also go on YouTube and see a lot of my videos from when I was a kid in my Broadway days. Lots more to come.

SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

JC: I really hope everyone enjoys the movie and has as much fun watching it as we had making it. It's such a special movie and I'm so lucky that I got to be a part of it. I think you're gonna be hooked.