Stand-by Joined: 9/11/12
I'm just happy that someone who has broadway/theatre experience is in the role.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
I was all for giving Sophia Grace the benefit of the doubt, but I am glad they ended up going the safer route.
I just watched this clip again of Lilla. She really does have star quality, no question. I'm very happy for her, and I think she's a great choice.
LINK
Here's a video clip of "The Slipper and the Rose" from 1977, you can see Annette Crosbie as the fairy godmother. She was delightful. Should make a great Granny for Little Red.
LINK
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
Who is Richard Glover. It seems he will be playing the steward.
http://collider.com/into-the-woods-movie-filming-johnny-depp/
Here's a photo of him:
He was in "Sightseers," and he has a decent list of British credits.
IMDb.com - Richard Glover
Crosbie as Catherine of Aragon in The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
her Majesty
Updated On: 9/16/13 at 02:42 PM
Annette Crosbie is a treasure. I'm really glad she'll be in this!
IMDb.com - Annette Crosbie
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise The Lord!! I'm very excited for Lilla.
One of the things I love about Frances de la Tour is that she can be very imposing and almost frightening, and at the same time, completely sympathetic.
She's such a great choice for the Giant's Wife.
I was willing to give Sophia Grace a chance. Now I'm glad I don't have to.
So nobody from the OBC will be in this. That kinda sorta sucks big time.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
I don't really think it sucks. It's cool for us when we get cameos like that, but I'm ok with leaving the OBC out of it.
I thought it was a nice touch in Chicago and Dreamgirls.
But Mama Mia!, Hairspray, Nine, Sweeney Todd, etc., didn't have them.
EDIT: Beyond Bernadette and Joanna, it wouldn't really make sense to movie audiences. At least those two have film credits. Maybe they tried, and they both said no.
Entertainment Weekly says that Sophia Grace's publicist confirmed to them she was playing Little Red. This sounds to me like Rob Marshall & Co. had a change of heart during the rehearsal process and recast the part.
Entertainment Weekly link
As far as Lilla's weight ... yes, in the screenplay I read, it describes Little Red as "a small, plump, little girl," but that doesn't mean it's the Bible.
She needs to eat like a pig in the opening scenes, and maybe they will go so far as to pad Lilla's costume a bit. She has a round face, and hopefully it's good enough for the part.
I have always thought a skinny Little Red made no sense based on the writing.
I also think that her "appetite" should be every bit as voracious as the Wolf's "appetite," which helps them play off each other.
"It was a full day of eating for both." (Actually, that line doesn't even survive, since there's no narrator.)
Yeah, I'm disappointed about her weight, and I guess Sophia Grace brought that to the role (at least something about casting her had to make sense). Oh well, once again we see the skinny, pretty girl get the part, but that's Hollywood. I am glad someone talented like Lilla got cast though, it's clear Marshall didn't like what he saw during rehearsals; to be fair, it must be a daunting task for these kids to be in the same rehearsal room as Johnny Depp or Meryl Streep, no matter how well they did during the audition process, it must be almost impossible for a child to handle such big roles. I do feel bad for Grace, it must be so difficult to be replaced like this, but again, that's show business as they say.
Besty, Frances de la Tour is perfection as the Giant's Wife, as you said, she'll be imposing, but she'll make the more interesting moments where she confronts Jack and the other characters about how he took advantage of her really stand out. I don't mind that they didn't include anyone from the Broadway cast, it's not like classics like WEST SIDE STORY or SOUND OF MUSIC bothered to do that (of course, many like CABARET, MY FAIR LADY and THE KING & I did).
Danielle Ferland wasn't that fat, she just had layers of costume.
And no one actually refers to her size, but rather her appetite.
Btw, Sightseers is a great movie. I don't know if it's available in Region 1 format but it's worth seeking out.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
The line "Grandmother first, then Miss Plump" seems to refer to her size, but I am not in the camp that thinks she needs to be plump. It doesn't matter to me.
kudos to lilla crawford!
she's going to make a great "Little Red".
I have to say the only thing that makes me more than a bit uncomfortable is that a 10-year-old has to go through the notion of being cast in a huge movie musical from Disney, then somewhere into the rehearsal process, she finds out that she is being replaced.
Yes, "that's show biz."
And that's life. But it's an extremely hard lesson to learn at such a tender age.
That little girl is growing up fast. I'm sure her "trust level" is very low as a result. About everything.
Yes, she "knows things now, many valuable things ..."
EDIT: I'm pretty sure in guessing that many of you out there remember that there's an enormous difference between 10 and 12 years of age. I was assuming that, because of the audition process, Sophia Grace had proven wise beyond her years. That she was (at least) able to "act" that she "knew things now" and convince everyone involved. Apparently, that is not the case.
And ray, I agree with your examples ... but all of those movies were made within a decade of the original Broadway production, some within just a few years, and the actors who went from the Broadway show to the film adaptation were playing the same roles. It's different than an "aged" cameo ... but it's also different in that "Into the Woods" (and Chicago, too) were made over two decades after their original runs.
I love Annette Crosbie! I didn't know the name but when I went to that link of her as Catherine of Aragon, I recognized her. I know her from Ordeal by Innocence with Dunaway and Donald Sutherland. She was fantastic as the housekeeper. And Frances de la Tour had a great scene with Faye in Ellis Island. I am loving these new additions to the cast!!
If Lilla is closer to puberty than Sophia Grace was, that's even better! Then we we can have the sexual awakening subtext again!
You know something I also hope they don't do in this is what they did in some of the revivals, and that was Jack and the Baker climbing Rapunzel's tower to kill the Giantess. Because Rapunzel's tower was supposed to be so tall you could only get to the top by climbing Rapunzel's hair. If you could climb up it easily, it would defeat the plot point of the Prince and Rapunzel not being able to leave the tower together.
Updated On: 9/16/13 at 10:22 PM
So here is the full, confirmed cast, in the credits order from the Disney press release:
The Witch ... Meryl Streep
The Baker's Wife ... Emily Blunt
The Baker ... James Corden
Cinderella ... Anna Kendrick
Cinderella's Prince ... Chris Pine
The Wolf ... Johnny Depp
Little Red Riding Hood ... Lilla Crawford
Jack ... Daniel Huttlestone
Jack's Mother ... Tracy Ullman
Cinderella's Stepmother ... Christine Baranski
Rapunzel ... McKenzie Mauzy
Rapunzel's Prince ... Billy Magnussen
Florinda ... Tammy Blanchard
Lucinda ... Lucy Punch
The Steward ... Richard Glover
The Giant ... Frances de la Tour
The Baker's Father ... Simon Russell Beale
Cinderella's Late Mother ... Joanna Riding
Little Red Riding Hood's Granny ... Annette Crosbie
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