Emma Stone Spills on Playing Young Cruella de Vil for Disney

London Celebrity Sightings - September 1, 2019 — (Image credit: J. Almasi)

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Emma Stone dished about what it's like to play a young Cruella de Vil for Disney.
"It's pretty trippy. It's wild," she explained, talking about where she drew inspiration for the character and (in vague terms, of course) what her story looks like in this film.
Fans immediately fell in love with the first official pic of the character.

Fans are unbelievably excited to watch Emma Stone, who's phenomenal and OTT in all the best ways, as a young Cruella de Vil in a new Disney film. The film is apparently in the style of Wicked and Maleficent, giving context and maybe even a little empathy for the seemingly evil character (I have no idea how a puppy-killer is going to get empathy in this case? I mean...her last name is devil!!). When asked how she feels about playing a young version of the iconic character by Entertainment Tonight at the Zombieland: Double Tap premiere, "It's pretty trippy. It's wild," Stone said, and said she often finds herself on set thinking, "This is bananas."

Stone said she was drawing inspiration from the live-action Cruella in 101 Dalmatians in 1996—a.k.a. Glenn Close, who's great at being evil in any context—and the original 1961 animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. "I think she's obviously the GOAT," Stone explained of Close and her performance, "but I also have just loved the cartoon for a really long time."

"This comes before [Close's] story," she added. "This leads to her to where she becomes true greatness." So at the very least we know that Stone has some empathy for her own character, much like Close did for hers in Fatal Attraction.

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If you remember, there's a now-iconic shot of Stone as Cruella, looking like something out of the Gotham/Batman universe:

Here’s your first look at Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in Disney’s Cruella. The film, also starring Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry, comes to theaters May 28, 2021. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/fvRntdIVarAugust 24, 2019

And we also got some pics of Stone in costume on set (in a doll-like bright red wig, natch):

Her performance is going to be EPIC. May 28, 2021 cannot come soon enough.

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Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.

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