By Mr. Will Wong
After its debut in 1989, Disney animated feature THE LITTLE MERMAID would go on to become a global phenomenon, winning Golden Globes and Oscars, in addition to winning the hearts of a generation of fans. Some 34 years later, we get Rob Marshall‘s live-action adaptation of this tale of a mermaid who seeks to carve her own path, finding love with a human prince is about to enchant a new generation once again.
We were delighted to join a global press conference with the Director, Composer and Producer of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. In-attendance were:
Two-time Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy plays Sea Witch Ursula. She talks about the excitement of people finally seeing this labour of love, which began production five years ago. She and her castmates attended last night’s Hollywood Premiere, which was a grand street-shutting affair.
McCarthy: “It’s really exciting. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it, you’re like ‘Do they really shut it down? Is the whole street blue?’. This is why I love movies, making them and everything got kind of exciting. It’s been such a long labour of love. It’s taken a while to make this beautiful thing. It’s like sending the kids off on a bus.”.
“This is the first time my kids have wanted to come to a premiere. I was nervous, but also excited they were there. They loved the Movie so much. It was fun seeing them be excited about seeing people and meeting them. They were like, ‘Oh my God, Halle is sitting behind us!’”.
Halle Bailey who stars in the plum role of Ariel, talks about her sister Chloe, who happens to be other half of their duo Chloe x Halle, finally seeing her breakthrough performance on-screen last night.
Bailey: “My sister is my best friend, she’s my rock and so yesterday was her first time seeing the Film! She cried. She was squeezing my hand so tight the whole time. I’m just so happy she loved it. And I can pat myself on the back that my big sister loved it.”.
Bailey also recalls the moment she learned she got the call from Director Rob Marshall.
Bailey: “My first reaction was sobbing. I think we had just celebrated my sister’s birthday, before renting an Airbnb and I got this call from Rob. I don’t answer unknown numbers. And my baby brother said. ‘Answer your phone!’ and I was like okay. It was Rob and he said, “Hello, I’m looking for Ariel!’. I was just crying the whole day.”.
Jonah Hauer-King is a real revelation as Prince Eric in this live-action adaptation and he talks about the warm reception the Film has gotten already.
Hauer-King: “It’s horrendous having to sing on-screen with a Grammy-nominated Artist in a film. That’s not fun for anyone. It was an amazing night and I think the reaction from the audience to the music was incredible. It felt like such a warm reaction, so much great energy in the room. It was quite special.”.
Hamilton star Daveed Diggs plays lovable crab Sebastian and though his castmates had seen the Film prior, it was his first time seeing it. He compares the experience working on The Little Mermaid to that of his theatre roots.
Diggs: “It was my first time seeing it and this song came on that I hadn’t heard before, and the audible ‘SING!’ in the audience. I was unaware you could do that!”
“It’s big, but the way we worked on it wasn’t big. We worked on it like it was a small thing. It felt like Community Theatre, pushing boxes around. We got in this groove and this is how you make Art. We understand something everyone could wrap their arms around and knew it inside and out. When you watch it on this massive screen, we never saw any of that. It’s really cool to see something you only thought existed in your imagination. I thought we were just building a world inside of our heads.”.
Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem stars as King Triton, Ariel’s father and describes taking-in the Film for the first time and also working with on-screen daughter, Bailey.
Bardem: “I’m sorry about my voice. That’s why I don’t have a song in the Movie! I loved the energy, it was amazing. People were honestly truly, deeply moved by it. Everybody was cheering and supporting the hard work a lot of people have done with this Movie.”.
“Right in the moment I met her (Bailey), I fell for her. She has this thing where you can’t help but love her unconditionally. That was the first day. The rest of the Movie we just had fun and enjoyed the process. It was easy for us to connect. I was mesmerized by the quality of her performance – as an Actress and how much courage she had going to places she had to go.”.
Canada’s Jacob Tremblay continues to make us proud and he voices Flounder, one of Ariel’s three confidantes on her journey. He talks about the experience voicing his role in-person. And despite being born long after the timeless 1989 predecessor of this new version, it still was a part of his growing-up.
Tremblay: “We were all together for quite some time in-studio in England and got to know each other so well. That helped with the voicework. I preferred it more than being in a booth or on Zoom like during Covid. It was a privilege to be together and to do our scenes together.”.
“I think just because it came out quite some time before I was born, I don’t remember not knowing the characters. It was still a big part of my childhood. I watched it quite a few times before going-in to film. I had to embody Flounter’s anxiety, but at the same time make sure I made it my own. It was great with everyone there, being able to riff off each other.”.
Awkwafina is a real scene-stealer as Scuttle, the seagull who joins forces with Sebastian and Flounder. Like Tremblay, she describes the unique experience of collaborating in-person here. She also talks about the importance of diversity on-screen – which feels seamless here – and also how she relates to her character.
Awkwafina: “This is the first time I’ve ever read a scene with other Actors. Usually we’re in a booth, while other Actors or the Director reads with you. It all just happened there and there were other people there too. That one day was where most of our performances came from.”.
“It really reflects the world we live in and everyone deserves to see themselves on-screen. This Movie also just celebrates really amazing performances. I did enjoy Scuttle and enjoyed watching it. I am Scuttle after like two Margaritas on a Tuesday. I’m very neurotic. I am Scuttle for sure.”.
Bailey tells us about the kinship between her and her character Ariel.
Bailey: “I tell people all the time that Ariel has helped me find myself and this young woman version of me. This was five years of my life, 18 to 23, those were intense transformative years developing as a young woman. The Film’s themes of what she had to go through – her passion, drive and speaking up for herself. What might be scary, she went for it. I try to adopt and give to Halle now.”.
Hauer-King talks about how while The Little Mermaid is fantastical, it actually is quite grounded in reality. He also reveals how this Film approaches the love story between Ariel and Prince Eric from a new lens.
Hauer-King: “It was a great privilege and a huge honour. The whole Film feels grounded in reality. Watching it last night made me realize for all of us even though we were living in a fantasy space, it feels really connected to the real world. Being a Disney Prince is weird, isn’t it?”.
“Disney romances are always filled with instinctive attraction to one another. What was fun about this was that it came from our off-screen selves. Looking at Ariel and Eric as two people who were kindred spirits, restless and behind four walls of their respective castles looking outward and not in. Their relationship feels earned, teaching each other things, excited and fascinated by each other’s worlds and didn’t know it till the end. That’s what makes it last and special – the friendship tied to it.”.
Laurence Olivier Award-winning Thespian Noma Dumezweni stars as Prince Eric’s mother Queen Selina in the Film. She attributes the Film’s perfection to Director Rob Marshall.
Dumezweni: “It’s the spectacle and herding cats of it. It’s about making extraordinary people feel comfortable with what they’re doing. Rob and Jon (DeLuca, Producer) are theatre babies. Having a rehearsal on-set is such a rare thing in the TV and Film world. This is what we’re aiming for and we can be free when we’re doing it.”.
McCarthy also talks about the supportive space that Marshall created for her and her castmates.
McCarthy: “I remember the crazy 60-foot clamshell and trying not to cry every time I sang a melody. Rob sets-up this world like it is and this is why I fell in love with plays. It feels so small and you know it’s this enormous thing. If we all do our best, maybe we can make a show and it becomes so personal and everyone’s doing their best. And he’s swaddled in cashmere, quietly cheering everyone on from Actors to gorgeous camera moves and the Sound Department’s killing it. I have an appreciation of all the moving parts it takes to make a movie work. Having a cheerleader like that – we’re just so fortunate. The world wouldn’t be so mad if it had such a soft, gentle cheerleader.”.
Legendary Composer Alan Menken gets to see his compositions for The Little Mermaid take on a second life here in this new adaptation. He sings high praise for Bailey.
Menken: “She’s adorable, so talented and you can’t take your eyes off her. The emotion is on her face and in her voice, she’s Halle Bailey, a delicious person and amazing Ariel. You see it in levels.”.
Rob Marshall recalls Bailey being the first person he had seen for the role of Ariel and she set the benchmark with her audition off the bat.
Marshall: “The first Actor we saw for role was Halle. The first thing she did was sing for us and sang that song. She shut her eyes and sang that song. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She’s so deeply connected to what she’s singing about, so emotional and beautiful. How is it that we’ve been doing it for five minutes and already have found Ariel? We saw hundreds of Actors, every ethnicity, but she claimed the role for her.”.
Walt Disney Studios Canada release THE LITTLE MERMAID May 26, 2023.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
Officially holding the record for longest gap for a sequel at 54 years, Mary Poppins Returns and is poised to do it in a huge way. The Rob Marshall-directed Musical starring Emily Blunt in the iconic titular role, is fresh-off four Golden Globe nominations including Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Emily Blunt), Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Best Original Score.
In town to promote the Film is English Actress Emily Mortimer, who plays the adult version of central Mary Poppins character Jane Banks. Mortimer has drawn acclaim for her performances in a duo of Martin Scorsese films Hugo and Shutter Island, Woody Allen‘s Match Point, plus roles in HBO’s The Newsroom. Oxford-trained Mortimer returns to the City, her first visit in a while, having starred in 2007’s Toronto-made Lars and the Real Girl alongside Ryan Gosling. Joining her is best friend Dolly Wells, with whom she created Comedy Series Dolly & Em. Wells starred in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel’s (Melissa McCarthy) love interest, Anna.
See the Trailer:
Gracing the Blue Carpet at Scotiabank Theatre were a bevy of familiar Canadian names who showed their pure excitement for the Film including the likes and families of Ben Mulroney, Carlos Bustamente, Morgan Hoffman, Lauren Orlando and Sarah Fisher.
We ask Mortimer about how she came to be involved with Mary Poppins Returns.
“I met Rob (Marshall) at his apartment. Someone told me that he and his producing partner John (DeLuca) saw me on a morning chat show and thought I’d be a good for Jane Banks. I don’t know if that’s true, but I met him and he was so inspiring why we needed Mary Poppins to return to our lives at this particular moment in time where life feels confusing, painful and strange. I walked out of the meeting convinced we needed to make this Movie.” .
We asked her the most daunting thing about becoming Jane Banks.
“As a child, she’s one of the most famous children in cinematic history played so brilliantly by Karen Dotrice. How do you begin to step into those tiny little shoes? I think with everyone involved with the Movie, it comes from a place of love. Everybody approached this Film loving the original and not wanting to let it down, wanting to give it their all and make it special, yet also different in its own light. There was no cynicism. It was a special experience.” .
We ask Dolly Wells what the legacy of Mary Poppins means to her.
“It means my childhood. I wish I could remember the first time I saw it. It reminds me of Christmas, my family and the fire roaring. The excitement of being a child and that anything is possible – that a nanny can have a never-ending bag of magic, can click her heels and burst into song. It has an appealing sense of joy and hope.” .
We congratulate her on Can You Ever Forgive Me?‘s two Golden Globe nominations.
“I had such nice times. Marielle Heller (Director) should have been nominated. We had a really great times. Melissa is a dream – everything you’d imagine. The performance by the incredible Richard E. Grant is charming and brilliant. Marielle has a delicate touch and this is only her second film.” .
We ask Wells about her childhood best friend, Mortimer and at what point they realized they could be collaborative partners.
“20 years ago, it was kind of her idea. She said, ‘Why don’t we write something together?’. Before that, I’d always be leaving things in a drawer that I’d written. I was too shy. It took about ten years to make a movie and now we are writing something else.” .
See some Snaps of the night:
Emily Mortimer
Dolly Wells
Sarah Fisher
Ben, John, Brian and Isabel Mulroney
Morgan and Sydney Hoffman
Carlos Bustamente and Family
The Reklaws
See some highlights from the Blue Carpet:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release MARY POPPINS RETURNS Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
Photos taken on the NIKON D3400
Video taken on the Samsung S7 Plus
(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada/Amanda Gilmore/Mr. Will Wong)
The names Billy Magnussen and Mackenzie Mauzy may have you scrambling for the IMDB App on your phone, but come Christmas, millions around the World will fall in love with them. The two Actors are in Toronto for a two-day Press Tour in support of Rob Marshall‘s INTO THE WOODS, which is set to pull-in huge numbers at the Box Office.
Being fresh faces among a v. seasoned and well-recognized Cast surely isn’t an easy challenge, but the Pair who play the Prince and Rapunzel in the Brothers Grimm Pastiche strung together by the Music of Stephen Sondheim, actually are quite great. Fans of the Broadway Music on which this Film Adaptation is based and Movielovers will be delighted by some phenomenal performances by the likes of Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine and several more! And did we mention just how fantastic Streep is as The Witch? Even she flexes some new muscles here!
Mauzy who is most recognized for her work in Soap Operas like The Bold and the Beautiful and Guiding Light gets the opportunity to utilize her theatre chops and excels. Magnussen, whom we met while filming The Divide in Toronto earlier this year, is dashing here and expect big things to come as he appears in Steven Spielberg‘s still-untitled Cold War project starring Tom Hanks.
I caught up with Magnussen and Mauzy on one of their stopoffs, Global Television‘s The Morning Show, where they had a friendly couch chat with Liza Fromer. Despite being in a rush to leave, they still took time out to pose for a quick Photo and Mauzy despite her Handler being clear about her one autograph policy, was giving, signing as she walked her way to her Car.
See the Interview here.
See our Snaps:
Mackenzie Mauzy
Billy Magnussen
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release INTO THE WOODS on Christmas Day!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Marc Hom)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada and Mr. Will want to take Readers across Canada to an Advance Screening of the star-studded spectacle INTO THE WOODS first this Holiday Season! Screenings take place in Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Winnipeg on Wednesday, December 17, 2014.
Official Synopsis:
INTO THE WOODS is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.
INTO THE WOODS stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp; Academy Award Nominee Rob Marshall directs.
Watch the Trailer:
Official Artwork:
To enter to win, tell me your City in the comments of this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook. Name for me also your favourite Brothers Grimm Character of all time and tell me why! You get an extra chance by Re-Tweeting the below or sharing this Post from Facebook with your Friends!
http://www.mrwillwong.com/intothewoods @MRWILLW wants us to #win Passes to see #INTOTHEWOODS. In theatres Christmas!
Good luck, Willionaires!
“Like” INTO THE WOODS on Facebook here.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release INTO THE WOODS Christmas Day.
©2014 DISNEY
(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)
Is it safe to assume we’ll all be seeing this Christmas 2014? Production for Disney‘s upcoming Live-Action Adaptation of the Musical Into the Woods is well under way in London and just released is this first Still featuring MERYL STREEP!
Into the Woods merges Characters from our favourite Brothers Grimm Stories and together they are taught a lesson by a Witch (Meryl Streep), with an original Story centering on a Baker and his Wife whom are cast under her Spell. The Witch hopes to reverse a Curse so that her beauty can be restored. Characters include Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame) and Little Red Riding Hood.
Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman and Christine Baranski also star. Yes, it will be that good.
Academy Award-winning Director Rob Marshall (my favourite!) who has time after time stuns our senses with Films like Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha and NINE, helms the Musical.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures releases INTO THE WOODS on Christmas Day 2014.
(Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)
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