The second group consisted of:
- Christine Baranski (“Cinderella’s Stepmother”)
- Tracey Ullman (“Jack’s Mother”)
- Meryl Streep (“The Witch”)
- Producer Marc Platt
- Producer John Deluca
Firstly, the camaraderie between the three actresses, Tracey, Christine, and Meryl, was remarkable. They have all worked together in the past, they are all friends, and they clearly had hung out together before they met us! These women were wonderful to watch in action on the dais, they have done many press conferences and wanted to make it enjoyable for themselves, as well as for us.
I do love how bloggers do not ask the “regular” questions that these folks get asked over and over again. My favorite question was about how the movie made them think about being parents themselves!
Christine Baranski, mother of two evil daughters in the movie talked about wanting your kids to marry “up.” In the movie she wanted her daughters to marry up so much so that she was willing to cause physical damage to their feet to get them to accomplish that goal! In real life she just wants her kids to marry people who can help them to have a fruitful and productive life, without physical damage!
Tracey Ullman shared how her (real) son now acts and she was trying to promote him from the dais! Just like in the movie where she was just trying to teach her son how to survive!
And Meryl spoke about how as parents we always want to shield their kids from the dangers and evils in the world, just like her character the Witch did with her “adopted” daughter, Rapunzel. I can relate, I am not raising my son to see him leave when he turns 18! I have to follow him and protect him always!
Musically these three actresses have always been singers. Meryl Streep was hysterical when she showed us how she cleared her nasal passages when she was preparing, something she remembered from her days at Yale! Tracey let us all in on a little secret – she was a Pop Star in 1984! A real hit single! And Christine Baranski has been a famous Broadway singer for years! Again, everyone in the movie sang incredibly well. Producer Marc Platt gave these three women their rightful props: “It takes more than just a vocal instrument and what’s so great about these three ladies as well as the rest of the cast is you can sing if you have a great voice, but to connect that instrument to the text and connect it to the subtext, what lies underneath and the emotion is indeed a rare talent.”
Producer John Deluca also gave everyone a lot of credit for their hard work, “these actors really dove into this with every part of their beings. Sondheim is so tricky technically and it is a bit of a challenge for everything, to let that technique go you need to really dive into it and really study it and work and work and we really worked them to the bone.”
Meryl Streep paid special homage to Bernadette Peters, the actress she first saw do the role on Broadway. She said she never bought the album but the singing stayed in her head all these years. And they all agreed having to do this singing 8 days a week in a play was something to be respected!
Lastly, they shared how it was a pleasure watching Stephen Sondheim hear his music played by a 64 piece orchestra. He had only ever heard it played by the 16 member orchestra on Broadway. And they made us feel like we were there enjoying watching him as well!
My official review will be posted tomorrow. I feel privileged to have been able to listen to these great folks talk about this great movie, actresses I have been fans of for decades! They did not let me down, in the movie, or live on stage!
INTO THE WOODS is rated PG and opens in theaters everywhere on December 25th!
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Disclosure: I received a ticket to preview this movie and attended a press conference. All opinions are 1000% honest and my own.
“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 (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.”
that movie looks awesome!!! i can’t wait to see it.
I am dying to see this movie. My kids have been talking about it non stop.
we liked this movie, those of us who had seen the play and those who had not.
This movie looks wonderful! The cast is just amazing!
We’re all so excited to see this movie. The kids love fairy tales, and I LOVE the cast. This is going to be a great one!