A role in a major Disney movie, a walk down the red carpet, a performance at the Academy Awards — so many dreams could become a reality over the next few years if this callback audition goes well.
But as Adassa waits for the Zoom call to begin, she isn’t thinking about any of that. In her hands she clutches photos of her mother, her father, and her grandparents. Sure, she’s prepared to rap as the “Encanto” directors have requested and plans to give this audition everything she’s got, but Adassa feels compelled to share a story first.
After Adassa finishes her story, she performs “Satisfied” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical “Hamilton.” She also reads a few lines of the movie script provided. As quickly as that, the audition of a lifetime is over, the Zoom call ends, and all Adassa can do is wait and pray.
“It was very important to me for the directors to know where my dream of singing came from, and who I owe everything to,” she explains. “I wouldn’t be standing in front of them or have anything if it wasn’t for the sacrifices of my family.”
A few weeks later, she receives the phone call that changes her life forever. She is offered a role in “Encanto” as Dolores, a member of the magical Madrigal family who is endowed with super-sensitive hearing. The movie was released in November 2021 and has since won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, giving Adassa her dazzling moment on the red carpet. Dolores quickly became a fan-favorite character, in part for her low, smooth rap in the movie’s No. 1 Billboard hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The Washington Post even called her the song’s “most memorable voice.”
In all the limelight, Adassa has shown dedication to her family and strives to be an example of her faith. But just as inspiring as where she is today is the story of how the Lord prepared her spiritually for this opportunity: Years before “Encanto,” she made major sacrifices in her musical career in order to embrace a more Christ-centered life, including becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And while that decision may have seemed like stepping down from a glittering stage to follow a much more ordinary dream, Adassa would later see that God was always planning to pull back the curtain and reveal a scene more beautiful than she ever could have imagined.
Read the full article on LDSLiving.com.
