“He’s very matter-of-fact. He knows who he is, and he’s very happy,” says Carrere, after her son walked the red carpet solo.
Tia Carrere is sharing an update about her family.
In a new interview with PEOPLE, the Wayne’s World star revealed that her 19-year-old son, Jude, whom she shares with ex-husband Simon Wakelin, recently came out as transgender.
“He doesn’t love the spotlight,” Carrere shared, noting that despite being more low-key, Jude still made an appearance at the premiere of the live-action Lilo & Stitch (below), even though Carrere, who stars as Mrs. Kekoa in Disney’s live-action remake, was forced to miss the premiere due to filming obligations in the Philippines.
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“He’s more introverted, so he definitely won’t go into acting or singing like I did,” she continued. “But he’s a great artist. I don’t know what he’ll do! Maybe become a doctor or work with animals. He’s working with animals right now.”
Carrere, who was discovered at age 17 in a grocery store in Waikiki and later came to fame playing Cassandra Wong in Wayne’s World, said she’s incredibly proud of the person Jude is becoming.
“He’s very matter-of-fact,” she said. “He knows who he is, and he’s very happy.”
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Not only is Jude confident in who he is, Carrere said, but he’s also a caring, loyal friend.
“He’s such a sweetheart, he’s like the therapist to all the other kids,” she shared. “When his friends go out drinking or partying too hard, he’s always the designated driver, that kind of caring friend you can always lean on.”
“I did a good job with that. But I don’t want to congratulate myself too much!,” Carrere quipped. He’s his own person!”
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While Jude is largely staying out of the spotlight, Carrere is happy to be back in it, telling the outlet that Lilo & Stitch was the kind of grounded role she was looking for.
“I love that I’m not a glamorous sex symbol or whatever in this movie,” she added of Lilo & Stich. “It’s just good acting and it’s empathetic and it catches your heart, and that makes me so happy.”
As for what’s next, Carrere said she wants to keep acting and has no plans to stop.
“I want to be doing this for the next 40 years!” she exclaimed.
