Camp Rock 3': Liamani Segura, Malachi Barton on stepping into more 'grounded' roles

On The Red Carpet 'Camp Rock 3': Liamani Segura, Malachi Barton on stepping into more 'grounded' roles "Camp Rock 3" stars Liamani Segura and Malachi Barton trade the fantasy roles for more "grounded" characters in this franchise.

After 16 years, "Camp Rock 3" welcomes a new class of young musicians, with stars Liamani Segura and Malachi Barton trading their fantasy roles for more "grounded" characters. It premieres Aug. 13 on Disney Channel and streams next day on Disney+. LOS ANGELES -- After 16 years, the Disney Channel franchise "Camp Rock" is returning with its third installment, " Camp Rock 3 ," with star Demi Lovato as an executive producer and the Jonas Brothers as executive producers and guest stars.

"Camp Rock 3" follows a group of talented young musicians competing for the chance to open for Connect 3 (the fictional band that the Jonas Brothers are in) on their upcoming sold-out tour.

On The Red Carpet spoke with the two leads, Liamani Segura (" Descendants: Wicked Wonderland ") and Malachi Barton (" ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires ," " Coven Academy ") about starring in Disney franchises, getting advice from their predecessors and embracing the moment.

When it comes to the new class of Camp Rockers, Segura said, "I think they're all just so excited to show the world what they have, what they have to offer, and their voices, you know, everyone has their own thing."

Segura stars as Sage, a talented, ambitious singer, and Barton stars as Fletch, the misunderstood bad boy. The pair shared how the new characters offered a different experience from their previous Disney Channel work.

"The worlds that we have been in, the big franchises that we've been in, have been fantasy worlds. And I think being able to step into something that's so real, so grounded, and so gritty, it's like, it is really, really fun," Barton said.

Segura, who is just coming off of the excitement surrounding "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland," explained further, "You've got to dig deeper into the character, you know? And not that we didn't dig deep into, you know, into Victor and Pink (their characters from "ZOMBIES" and "Descendants," respectively), but like, genuinely, I feel like with Sage and Fletch, I really wanted to understand where they were both coming from to step into the characters."

She also attributes the ability to dig deeper into the characters to stepping onto a set that felt more grounded in reality, compared to the previous, fantastical sets of "Descendants."

"I mean, with 'Descendants,' we're dealing with practical sets where like the chessboard is like humongous... It was pretty crazy, and it feels like you're in an entirely different world."

Although the two are familiar with the whole Disney Channel franchise game, they still picked up some advice from Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.

"I remember the first day that I met her," Segura says about Lovato. "She basically just told me, 'Take it all in. You're never going to be 17 again on this amazing set of 'Camp Rock,' and you just have to live in the moment.'"

Barton recalled spending time with the Jonas Brothers during production.

"One of my first interactions and memories with them was throwing a football around with them on set, which was so much fun. And I think that it's those moments that show you that they're... naturally so good at this, but they don't take it too seriously," Barton said.

The two seem like they're taking those lessons to heart.

Segura told us, "I'm in a really good spot where we're on set, and it doesn't feel like work at all. I'm literally just with my best friends filming a movie. We're all so young, and we're having a good time. You're really gonna be able to see that on the screen."

"Camp Rock 3" premieres Aug. 13 on Disney Channel and begins streaming the next day on Disney+.

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