Dove Cameron On Vampires, John Cena & Refusing To Wear Gauchos

Dove Cameron is far too introspective, philosophical, and contemplative for rapid fire questions. And yet, made the singer and actress answer not one, not two, but 19 of our most burning queries back to back to back.

We met up with Cameron at Diesel’s House of Desire party during New York Fashion Week, where the “Boyfriend” songstress, Tefi Pessoa, Meredith Duxbury, and others all gathered to celebrate the launch of the brand’s first major feminine fragrance, Diesel Only Desire. Only a fête this exhilarating could get the Disney Channel alum to fantasize about being a man for a day and divulging her disdain for gauchos — well, that and a stomach full of cold brew.

For an exclusive edition of our NYLON 19 series, we sat down with Cameron to talk all things aliens, skywalkers, and mythical creatures.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes.

What was the last internet rabbit hole you went down?

There must have been one. I feel like I was just talking about this. I can't remember. Come back to me.

Are you the main character of the sidekick?

Main character? [I said] main character question mark because I love relationships, I love friendships, I love groups. I always work with the same people because that's my family.

If your life was a fortune cookie, what would it say?

Like warning of what's going to happen or like essence? Man, how does anyone answer this rapid fire? I don't know. I would say “You are alchemical.” That was my last EP, but that's kind of the theme of my life is it burns down, I rebuild alchemy.

Is luck real?

No, I don't believe luck is real. I believe that your internal condition shapes the world around you, which then answers back to you and shapes your internal condition. I believe you are in a constant feedback loop with the world around you, the universe, whatever you want to believe. But I don't think it's luck. I don't believe in something coming down and just sort of being like, "You are chosen." That's not real. You have to be like, "I am chosen. I choose me," over and over and over again, which is hard, hard when the world is scary and people can be weird. Think on that.

Are you early, on time, or a liar?

I've been trying to work on being early, which then means I'm on time because I used to be chronically late.

What’s a tiny hill you’ll die on?

A tiny hill? I don't know, I have a lot of big hills I'll die on. Tiny stuff really bothers me. Don't base your wardrobe choices around trends. Gauchos just came back, but they rebranded them as something different. And I was like, "These have always been ugly." They were ugly then and they're ugly now. But also that's the other thing is if you like it, wear it, but don't wear it because it's now back. You have to work a little bit hard to find your personal style these days, which I struggle with. Sometimes I'm like, "Does this even feel like me or do I just think I like it because I like it on her?" Wear what the f*ck you want and stop Googling what's happening now in the world.

If you were a mythological creature, who would you be?

Dragon, dragon vampire, probably vampire, because I think I look like one and also I don't really want to be out in the sun anyway. It's hot and the beach is 50/50 a good experience. I would rather be in my room.

What would be your walkout song?

Probably “Renegade” by Styx. That's a really good walkout song, but also “Literal Legend” by Ayesha Erotica. Crazy good song. “Brand New B*tch” by Cobrah. Those are the three.

If you could body swap with anyone, who would it be?

Body swap as in John Malkovich be in their brain and live as them? I feel like I would want to body swap with someone who was so my polar opposite physically. I would want to experience the world through — I probably would want to be a guy. What’s it like having a d*ck?

I would like to body swap with someone really tall because every time somebody tall picks me up, I go, "There's no fucking way that the world looks like this from where you're at. The world's big for me." I'm 5'4", not 5'2". I just found out. The internet is always like, "She's not [5’4”]." I'm not tall by any means, but everyone still thinks I'm 5'2" and I'm not. I'm 5'4" just because I know you were dying to know.

John Cena would be fun because I don't know what it feels like to be that strong or big, and I feel like he's a nice guy, so it'd be a positive experience. It would feel like having superpowers, right? I'd go to pick something up.

What is the most impractical skill you’d like to learn?

I actually think it’s practical, but I have always wanted to be ambidextrous. You can write at the same time. You would also have to work on your brain's coordination with that as well, but I look at ambidextrous people and that's just so freeing. Maybe it's not, but that was one of my goals when I was a kid.

This isn't a skill; did you see that thing about those people, the skywalkers? Skywalkers that they walk on super high heights? I don't know if I really want to learn how to do that or do it more than once.

What would be your final beverage?

Before school every single day I used to get a coffee that was a cinnamon dolce latte with whipped cream and extra cinnamon on top. I've not had one of those in a decade. That would probably be my last beverage. No, a root beer float.

If everyone had a number above their head, what would you want that number to represent?

Their empathy scale. You should be able to identify that immediately. We actually need to have a system that does that for us because if you don't have enough empathy, you are a detractor. Everybody needs to work on their empathy and their understanding of other human beings' emotions because I think that would solve almost everything. If there could be a secondary number, it would be the ability to enact change through your own personal development. What's your skill level in that area? I'm not even talking about people that you would be in a relationship with. I just mean, do we really need anyone who is unable to work on themselves, empathize with others? We need to have people that are willing to grow in that area or who have it in buckets, especially in positions of power.

What is the most dangerous thing you’d do if you were invincible?

Definitely skywalking, but also I would just be doing crazy irresponsible sh*t if I was invincible. Not involving anyone else, but yeah. I'd probably jump off a building also or experiment with what my body could do. How fast is the refractory time? Turn it around. Let's see what happens. I would do everything. I want to touch fire. Run through fire.

If aliens came to Earth, where’s the first place you’re taking them?

New York. I would show them very human tableaus. I would be like, "And here's a mother with her child, and here's a toddler learning how to walk, and here's two people making out." I would be like, "Humans are great. Don't look at the rest." That would probably be my first course of action, but also I would be so interested in them that I'd be like, "Let me show you this and then let's go somewhere. Can we communicate?" I'd be so much more interested in them.

Do you have any recurring dreams?

Huge tsunami and I'm on the top floor and I can't get out.

What concert do you wish you could’ve seen?

Black Sabbath or ACDC or anything in that era.

Describe your dream night out in three words.

New York, summer air, so many drinks.

What’s something under $10 everybody should buy?

Aquaphor.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.