Kaipo Dudoit
Kaipo Dudoit | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1994 ʻEwa Villages, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2020–present |
Kaipo Dudoit (born February 7, 1994) is an American actor, hula dancer and model. A Native Hawaiian, Dudoit is best known for his role as David Kawena in Lilo & Stitch (2025).
Early life and career
[edit]Dudoit's father worked as a musician and his mother as a hula dancer. Born and raised in Honouliuli[1] at the north end of ʻEwa, Oʻahu, he was a hula dancer for Hālau Nā Kamalei O Līlīlehua. He graduated from Kamehameha Schools and received his bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. While in college, Dudoit was part of the Kumu Kahua Theatre. He is a student of Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero and performed at the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2025.[2]
He is also a licensed massage therapist by trade.[1][2]
After a brief role in the TV series Magnum P.I., Dudoit made his feature film debut with My Partner (2023), which was shot in Lahaina in western Maui.[2] The film is notably the first Hawaiian gay (boys love) film and the last film to be shot on Lahaina due to the 2023 wildfires.[3][2] He played David Kawena in the 2025 live action remake of Lilo & Stitch. The original choice for the role was Kahiau Machado, who Disney had to recast after he had used racial slurs on his Spotify and Instagram accounts.[4] To prepare for the role, Dudoit had water safety training and refined his surfing skills.[5]
In November 2025, Dudoit portrayed Lunalilo in the play "Outlandish" for the Kumu Kahua Theatre which dramatizes his acquaintance with Victorian writer Isabella Bird starred by Julia Avilla LoPresti.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Kaipo Dudoit participated in the online project "Faces of Pride" by the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, which began during the COVID-19 lockdown and featured members of the Hawaiian LGBTQIA+ community sharing their portraits and stories.[1]
In a 2024 interview with Instinct Magazine about the film My Partner, Dudoit discussed being part of the queer community and how it was personally important for him to tell stories about queerness without needing to use "our trauma" as the forefront, but instead, to show love and peace. He also mentioned that, before being called to do the film, he watched several boys' love dramas during the pandemic on the recommendation of friends.[7]
Filmography
[edit]| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | My Partner | Pili | [8] | |
| 2024 | Fair | Bryan | short film | [citation needed] |
| 2025 | Lilo & Stitch | David Kawena | [5] | |
| 2028 | Lilo & Stitch 2 † | David Kawena |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Magnum P.I. | Keno | CBS | Episode: "A Game of Cat and Mouse" | [9] |
| 2025 | Rescue: HI-Surf | Andy | Fox | Two episodes: "Riptide" and "Sea Change" | [2] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Faces of pride - Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation (2022). Available at: https://hawaiilgbtlegacyfoundation.com/faces-of-pride/ (Accessed: 28 March 2026).
- ^ a b c d e Osher, Wendy. "Hawaiʻi actor Kaipo Dudoit brings island charm to Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch". Maui Now (Interview). Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "Film on two Lahainaluna boys from separate worlds to debut at LA festival". Maui News. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Disney recasts role of David in 'Lilo & Stitch' remake after past racial slurs surface". Hawaii News Now. April 28, 2023. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ a b Veneri, John (9 May 2025). "Kaipo Dudoit Brings Heart to Disney's Live-Action Lilo & Stitch". KHON2 (Interview). Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ Helland, Katie (Nov 15, 2025). "Disney's live action "Lilo & Stitch" actor stars in local theater production". Aloha State Daily. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ Patterson, D. (2024) Instinct Interview with Kaipo Dudoit: ‘My Partner’, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsrEY4jfPKU (Accessed: 28 March 2026).
- ^ Gibson, Bradley (17 September 2024). "My Partner". Film Threat. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "Meli James and Kaipo Dudoit Co-Host Mana Up Showcase 2024". House of Mana Up. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Kaipo Dudoit at IMDb
- 1994 births
- 21st-century American male actors
- Living people
- American LGBTQ male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Dancers from Hawaii
- Hula dancers
- Male actors from Hawaii
- Male models from Hawaii
- Native Hawaiian male actors
- Native Hawaiian LGBTQ people
- People from Oahu
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people