- Stacey J. Aswad is an entertainer and TV star known for hosting "Must Do
Disney ." - Speaking with Insider, she shared how she got the gig and her favorite memories from filming.
- Today, Aswad is focused on voiceover acting and her web series, VO Buzz Weekly.
Stacey J. Aswad never imagined that "Top 7 Must Sees," an informational show played on Walt
In fact, she hadn't even planned to audition for the hosting gig in the first place. She had just traveled from North Carolina to Georgia in 2005 to try out for a different role and was ready to head back home. But instead, she said her manager suggested that she stay for another day and audition for a Disney project.
Aswad said she "quickly crammed as much of the script" into her brain as she could, and then auditioned "the famed Summit Plummet scene."
"Disney had been doing a national search for a while, and it was all kind of coming down to the wire," Aswad said. "Lo and behold, I got a callback and had to drive back to Atlanta two days later. They picked me and it was a very quick process of being flown to Orlando."
More than 15 years later, the show - which was updated and renamed "Must Do Disney" - is still beloved among fans, even after being removed from the theme park's programming.
Insider spoke with Aswad about the show's legacy, her favorite memories from filming, and what it was actually like to work in the theme park.
Stacey J. Aswad had never visited a Disney theme park before filming 'Top 7 Must Sees'
Aswad got her start in the entertainment industry as a dancer, choreographer, and competitive artistic roller skater, as she told Insider. As a result, filming the original theme-park show required "a lot of firsts" on her end.
"I had never hosted on camera before and I had never been to Disney, so it was a really exciting and daunting experience," she said.
"I was definitely nervous, but I always say that nervousness is just another flavor of excitement," Aswad continued.
She says the filming process was long, tiring, and physically challenging - but worth it
When it comes to creating the show, Aswad remembers staying at different Disney World resorts for approximately 10 days - the first few of which were dedicated to choosing her on-screen wardrobe.
"Just picking the tankinis I would wear was like a full day alone," she said.
Then the filming process began. Aswad said she spent many "long days" on camera for up to 10 hours.
"We started in the dark and ended in the dark," she said. "We were on a very tight schedule because we didn't want to interfere with anyone's experience at the theme park."
Aswad also remembers the job being "physically challenging and tiring." She said she got a lot of blisters, bruises, and even a rash.
"Doing Summit Plummet was intense," she remembers. "I had to do it a few times in a row, and those water-powered wedgies were real. And I had to do the crazy wave pool scene 12 times. It was insane and I thought I was going to drown."
Still, Aswad has nothing but fond memories of the experience. She said she was even proud to have "a few good war wounds" after filming.
"I was there working obviously, but it was so joyful because there were always new things to experience," she said.
It was Aswad's enthusiasm and improv skills that gave the show its charm
As Aswad told Insider, "everything you hear in the show is memorized or improvised." But as it turns out, it didn't necessarily have to be that way.
"I found out a good nine or 10 years in that there was a teleprompter option," Aswad said. "But at that point, even when we were filming updates, I was like, 'I'm not going to start phoning it in now.'"
Still, Aswad is hesitant to take all the credit for the show's success.
"I'm the only person you saw, but there was a beautiful, incredible team of producers and production that made my life much easier," she said. "It was kind of like doing a one-woman show with dozens of people."
More than a decade later, the show still impacts Aswad's life
Aswad, who is now living in Los Angeles, California, has transitioned her focus to voiceover work and a web show called VO Buzz Weekly. But even when she's least expecting it, Disney and its fans make magical appearances in her life.
"I've been in Trader Joe's, parking lots, and walking down the street, and someone goes, 'Stacey, hi!" and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh.'"
"I'm so grateful for every second, and for all of the love and support that I've received over the years," she continued. "To become a part of people's happiest times and memories, it's really awesome."
And though Aswad said she "would love" to still be filming the show, she's confident that whatever comes next "will be brilliant."
"It's a piece of history that we'll always have," she said of the show. "Every book has chapters. I feel like this is an incredibly special, and incredibly long chapter - much longer than I expected. The memories and magic that we created, that can never be changed or taken away."