That creative authority hasn\u2019t come without challenges. For all its popularity, Purple Hearts<\/em> faced backlash<\/a> from some viewers for its perceived anti-Arab and pro-military viewpoint. Carson defended<\/a> the film at the time, but admits now that \u201cit was an incredibly important learning experience\u201d for her as an actor-producer. \u201cWhen you release films that cause a lot of discourse, I think that\u2019s only a good thing. It makes people think and brings up important conversations,\u201d she says. \u201cOur intention was only to showcase this extraordinary young Hispanic woman, the daughter of immigrants who has worked endlessly hard her whole life to survive, and how these two people from different parts of the political spectrum could perhaps communicate with love and kindness. That was always the goal. Most people understood; some people didn\u2019t. And that\u2019s okay. That\u2019s a part of filmmaking. And it\u2019s important to learn and to continue to grow as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n Carson was a college student majoring in communications and minoring in international relations at UCLA when she auditioned for Descendants,<\/em> besting then Disney royalty like Zendaya<\/strong><\/a> for the role of Evie. \u201cIt was, without exaggeration, a fairy tale. Evie changed my life forever,\u201d says Carson. \u201cI remember leaving set on our very last day of the first Descendants<\/em> film. I was in the car with Wendy Japhet,<\/strong> who was our producer, and I was really sad, because I\u2019m the kind of person who never wants to leave a set. I love being on a movie set, and this being my first one, it was that much more magical. And she said something that today resonates with me so deeply: \u2018That\u2019s the beauty of our job, Sofia. That\u2019s the beauty of making movies. It\u2019s going to live on forever.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Carson feels the gravity of that statement now more than ever. \u201cOnce fame enters your life, you\u2019re kind of shifted forever. I was 21 when I walked onto the set of Descendants,<\/em>\u201d she says. \u201cI had lived a very normal life. I had had a normal childhood, a normal upbringing. Fame didn\u2019t enter my life when I was a child. So I have witnessed what a different experience that is.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/media.vanityfair.com\/photos\/68839d6a3c1473b311584f59\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Carry-On_u_01_31_08_22rv2.jpg\")