From ‘Wayne’s World’ Babe to Disney Regular: A Look at Actress and Singer Tia Carrere’s Unique Career
Plus, learn about her new role in the upcoming live action 'Lilo & Stitch' movie
As Cassandra, the cool rock singer and love interest in the hit 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, Tia Carrere was memorably referred to as “a robo-babe,” “babia majora” and “Baberaham Lincoln” by the title character, but she’s more than just a sassy ’90s sex symbol.
Since starting her career in the ’80s, Carrere has racked up over 100 credits, going from soap operas to comedies to adventure series to kids movies. On top of all that, she’s also a Grammy-winning musician. Here’s a look back at Carrere’s eclectic career — and her upcoming movie that’s sure to be a hit.
From the supermarket to the screen
Born Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1967, Tia Carrere had an improbable origin story that’s straight out of classic Hollywood. As a teen, she was discovered in a local grocery store and cast in her first film, Aloha Summer, which was shot in 1983 and released in 1988.
After her auspicious moment of discovery, Carrere relocated to L.A., where she quickly started getting TV roles. In 1985, she joined the cast of General Hospital, and played a nurse on the soap opera until 1987. She then made a memorable appearance as Kelly Bundy’s rival in a 1990 episode of Married . . . With Children.
In 1992, Carrere had her signature role playing Cassandra in Wayne’s World. In true ’90s fashion, at the time she was about to play a marine biologist in Baywatch — only to get the Wayne’s World role and decide to take that instead.
Carrere made a big impression in the role, not just for her beauty but for her musical abilities — she did all her own singing, and went on to release multiple albums of Hawaiian music in the ’00s, two of which won the Grammy for Best Hawaiian Music Album. She also made a splash by being one of the only Asian-American leading ladies at the time.
Looking back at the film, the star, who’s of Filipino, Spanish and Chinese descent, said she was cast “due to Mike Myers’ vision.” As she described it, “He thought it was funny that you see this rocking band, and then they get offstage and they could barely speak English. It was a gag in the film, but thank God he wrote it that way; otherwise it would have been another blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in the lead. It got me in the door, and it changed the game for me.”
To this day, Carrere says fans still often approach her with Wayne’s World quotes, and while some of the movie’s humor is admittedly crude, her character has aged well. Carrere called her “Kickass. Powerful. Brave,” while Mike Myers, the film’s star, said, “She sang beautifully, and she’s stunningly beautiful. On top of it, there is — who she is in life — a wonderful, whimsical, mischievous silliness to her, and playfulness and a strength that popped up for everybody.”
Unlike many films based on Saturday Night Live sketches, Wayne’s World was a huge hit, and Carrere returned for the 1993 sequel and was in high demand throughout the ’90s.
What Tia Carrere did after Wayne’s World
After Wayne’s World and its sequel, Carrere had another high-profile role when she played a villain in the 1994 Arnold Schwarzeneggar blockbuster True Lies. A number of action movies followed, with varying degrees of success. From 1999 to 2002, Carrere starred as a butt-kicking, Indiana Jones-inspired archaeologist in the TV show Relic Hunter.
After the show ended, Carrere voiced Lilo’s big sister and legal guardian in the 2002 Disney movie Lilo & Stitch. She reprised the role in a number of spinoffs, and provided voiceover work for other cartoons, including Duck Dodgers, Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest.
Carrere then appeared in episodes of The O.C., Nip/Tuck, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods. In 2020, she costarred in the short-lived Netflix series AJ and the Queen and in 2022, she joined the warm and fuzzy world of Hallmark with a role in the holiday movie A Big Fat Family Christmas.
What Tia Carrere has been up to lately
Most recently, Carrere acted in the 2024 Tubi original movie Paradise and provided voiceover work for an episode of Royal Crackers. Her next project is Disney’s live-action/CGI hybrid remake of Lilo & Stitch. In the film, a younger actress plays Carrere’s original role, while Carrere plays the newly created part of a kindly social worker. The film will be out in the summer of 2005.
While there have been rumors of a new Wayne’s World sequel, nothing’s been confirmed, and when asked about the possibility in an interview, Carrere said, “You must be kidding. We’re all going to walk out on our walkers, and I’m going to come out in my muumuu from Hawaii, eating papayas.” Seeing Carrere’s beloved character in a muumuu may be unlikely, but we’ll look forward to her new role in the upcoming Lilo & Stitch.
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