Disney's live-action CRUELLA doesn't merely revisit the classic villain Cruella de Vil. This movie, which features Emma Stone in the title role, reveals a whole new backstory as the would-be designer tries to work her way up in the fashion world as she struggles against the evil Baroness (Emma Thompson).
In addition to Stone and Thompson, filmmaker Craig Gillespie (I, TONYA) has stacked the CRUELLA cast with excellent character actors. We had a chance to speak with this fantastic cast, each of whom expressed their excitement to be a part of this unique and energetic movie. Mark Strong, who plays John the Valet, told us, “It’s a lot of responsibility attached to the fact that people love this character. They know the character really well, so it’s important that you get it right.”
His co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who plays Anita Darling, echoed that sentiment saying, “I’ve always loved [Cruella], I think she’s been such a fun female character, and I think she is iconic her style, in her laugh, in her hair.” She added, “What really drew me in was it being an origin story. Us not remaking what people have seen.”
Cruella’s only true friends in the film are the lovable duo of Jasper and Horace, played by Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser, who talked with us about what first struck them about this version of CRUELLA.
"Craig [Gillespie, director] pulled us into his office and played the soundtrack and all the songs he was hoping to put into the movie. That was kind of a big moment for Joel and I. We were excited, and we were enthusiastic, but it clued us in that he was not making a Disney film; he was making a Craig Gillespie film that happens to be a Disney film.” Fry added, “There was definitely a vibe of 'the work had to become the forefront.' It was great to work on because there was such a bunch of talented people across the board."
Hauser ended our conversation but highlighting why CRUELLA is best experienced in a Cinemark movie theater. "The scope of the movie is so big," he said. "It’s such a full course of a movie that watching it on your phone is not the way to go."
Check out our full interview with the cast of CRUELLA:
CRUELLA opens on May 28!
All images courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.