Ahead of the February 12th Disney+ debut of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Entertainment Weekly reunited the principal cast for a 40-minute conversation about their memories of making the film. Click here to watch it.
(ABC)
What’s Happening:
- Brandy Norwood, Paolo Montalban, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Jason Alexander and Veanne Cox reunited for a virtual conversation about Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which debuts on Disney+ on February 12th.
- The reunion was moderated by Marcus Jones and can be viewed on EntertainmentWeekly.com.
- Two members of the cast have since passed away and part of the conversation pays tribute to Whitney Houston, who had the idea for the 1997 remake that was made for The Wonderful World of Disney, and Natalie Desselle Reid, who passed away last year.
- Part of the conversation includes the profound impact of the production’s color blind casting, year’s before Hamilton, and joking about how a black queen (Whoopi Goldberg) and a white king (Victor Garber) had an asian son (Paolo Montalban).
- The conversation also includes working with choreographer Rob Marshall, who went on to direct Annie, Chicago, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns and the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
- Whoopi’s shocked squeaks were an improvisation, something that started as a joke on the set with Paolo Montalban and then made their way into the film.
- The beauty of Brandy’s dress is also a highlight, with Paolo Montalban and Veanne Cox recalling that no acting was required when filming the scene where she enters the ball.
- Whoopi Goldberg wears a crown throughout the interview, but she talks about her insistence that she wear real jewels in the film. She personally called Harry Winston to borrow real jewels, something she had previously done when working with Miss Piggy of The Muppets on “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” She was wearing $2 million worth of jewels in the film.
- To close the reunion, the cast thank the fans for requesting the film so it could have this Disney+ debut.
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