ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Mia Thermopolis (ANNE HATHAWAY) is a bright but shy teen who lives in San Francisco with her free-spirited artist mother Helen (CAROLINE GOODALL), and experiences the typical perils of high school life along with her best friend, Lilly (HEATHER MATARAZZO).
A bit of an outsider, Mia is content to slip beneath the radar as she navigates the treacherous waters of physical education class, her school's social caste system and a secret crush on a popular boy. Mia is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (JULIE ANDREWS), arrives in town to deliver the startling news that Mia is the heir apparent to the throne of the small European principality of Genovia!
The character of Mia required a very special actress to bring her to life, and Anne Hathaway was chosen from thousands of hopefuls for the role.
"Anne Hathaway has a lot of star qualities," says director Garry Marshall. "She reminds me of two people I love very much - Judy Garland and Harpo Marx. That may sound like a strange combination, but she can smile and light up the room, or make a goofy face for a laugh - and she's a terrific physical comedian. She's not afraid to fall down. I haven't worked with anyone who wanted to do physical comedy more since I worked with my sister Penny."
"Garry Marshall gave me what I believe is the most important advice anybody will ever give me in my career," recalls Hathaway of their first meeting about the film. "He said to me, 'You never know what's going to be a hit, so you might as well have fun making it.' And we've had more fun than I ever could have imagined."
Of the character of Mia, the slightly awkward and shy young girl who blooms into a self-assured, graceful young woman, Hathaway notes, "I think Mia has gone through life with only one or two people telling her that she is special - her rather flighty mother and her best friend, Lilly. When she begins princess lessons with her grandmother, she begins learning more about herself, which makes her feel good. I think the transformation Mia makes is far more than physical - it's completely emotional and psychological - and it's wonderful."
As for preparing to be a princess, Hathaway says, "There is absolutely no way to prepare for it unless you're born into it. So, all you can do is try to accept it as graciously as you can, while always remaining true to yourself, which I think is a very important message of this movie. Don't believe in the labels that other people assign to you - follow your own heart."
As Anne Hathaway was the ideal Mia, Julie Andrews was the filmmakers' first and only choice for the role of the formidable Queen Clarisse Renaldi. Garry Marshall, a longtime admirer of Andrews, was thrilled when she agreed to join the cast.
"She is such a talented artist," recalls Marshall of the experience. "She did great work, and she is really funny. She knows where the jokes are - and she's one of the great reactors of all time. The English language was written for her - she knows every syllable, and I just love to listen to her."
Producer Mario Iscovich echoes Marshall's sentiments, noting, "I can't imagine this movie without Julie Andrews, and we thank our lucky stars that she agreed to join us. She anchors the movie, and she brings to the part of Clarisse such a regal, elegant quality. Working with Julie Andrews reminds you what a real professional truly is … she's amazing."
And why was Julie Andrews drawn to the film?
"First and foremost, I was attracted to the project for the opportunity to work with Garry Marshall," says Andrews. "I'm a great admirer of his, and I was thrilled when I was asked. I have always connected with the humor and the layers of character in his films. He does it beautifully - it's all of the tiny details that make you smile and appreciate what he does - he's just wonderful at it."
Andrews also appreciated Marshall's collaborative nature: "He's unbelievably generous. He allows so much input from the actors that you feel like you've really contributed."
Heather Matarazzo plays Mia's best friend, the fiercely opinionated Lilly, whose school-sponsored TV show "Shut Up and Listen" is a forum for her vehement diatribes about social and political issues. Matarazzo was eager for the opportunity to work with Garry Marshall.
"Garry's one of the few directors I've worked with who's into improv and allowing the actors to run with an idea," says Matarazzo. "And a lot of magical things come out of that. Garry is an actor, and an actor's director, and he directs without going into elaborate set ups and discussions, and thinking a scene through so much you lose the point. The director is not there to give acting lessons - you either have it or you don't, and Garry knows that."
Platinum recording artist Mandy Moore makes her feature film debut as the beautiful Lana, a popular cheerleader and the girlfriend of the equally beautiful and popular Josh. Her very existence adds to the teenage angst suffered by Mia.
"I think she's definitely the kind of character everyone has run across in school," says Moore of Lana. "I'm still in high school myself, and I know these people exist because I went to school with them. They like to discriminate against other kids, and try to find fault with them because actually they're insecure themselves. It makes them feel better to pick on others somehow. I'm sure every teenager, in some form or other, has had to deal with that element in school."
When Mia first hears from her grandmother, Queen Clarisse, that she is a princess, she is at first incredulous - and then furious. She is furious at her mother for having kept her in the dark her entire life, and she is furious at the newfound relative who is insistent on tutoring Mia in the art of being a princess. Mia initially resists, but reluctantly agrees to give her grandmother a chance. During a series of comical lessons on etiquette, posture and royal protocol, Mia finds herself becoming more assured. As she and Clarisse spend more time together, Mia not only discovers surprising things about Clarisse, but she begins to recognize her own strengths and unique qualities.
"In fact, I think that Clarisse and the young princess are very much alike," notes Julie Andrews. "I think that's what makes them antagonistic toward each other at first. They're both feisty, and they fight each other at first, but they both have a sense of humor, and they eventually bond, growing to love and respect each other enormously by the end of the film."
Andrews, who created the role of Eliza Doolittle opposite Rex Harrison in Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" on Broadway, appreciates the irony of switching roles in "The Princess Diaries."
"In a way, I'm sort of the Henry Higgins of the piece, teaching Mia to walk, talk, dress and behave like a princess," says Andrews. "And I do, eventually, help her recognize her responsibilities to her country."
Andrews' character, Clarisse, is also very protective of the young princess. She assigns Genovian head of security Joseph (HECTOR ELIZONDO) to accompany Mia wherever she goes.
"He's tough, nobody messes with Joseph, and he watches over Mia," notes Marshall of Elizondo's character. "I think everybody would like someone around them who could protect them from all the things that happen to you in high school."
Joseph is also pressed into service when Clarisse insists that Mia learn formal dancing. Under Clarisse's stern eye, an awkward Mia learns to gracefully glide across the floor, following Joseph's lead. After Mia leaves, Joseph beckons Clarisse to join him in a dance. During shooting of this scene, everyone on set stopped in their tracks and watched as Julie Andrews and Hector Elizondo danced to a beautiful piece of music composed for the scene by music supervisor Sidney James. # # #
"The Princess Diaries" shot on numerous locations in California. In Sierra Madre, the Alverno High School served as Grove High, Mia's San Francisco private school. The move to San Francisco for two weeks of filming in various locations around the city, including The Musee Mecanique, a collection of vintage mechanical amusements located near San Francisco's historic Cliff House restaurant, which served as the backdrop for scenes between Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. The city's Russian Hill was the site for a scene involving Mia's beloved '66 Mustang, a cable car and a very steep hill.
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown portrayed himself in a scene at the Genovian Embassy, where he was interviewed upon his arrival at the Genovian Ball.
"Mayor Brown did a terrific acting job," recalls Garry Marshall. "He even managed to avoid being upstaged by a man juggling pears and a beautiful woman in a low-cut evening gown!"
When word leaks out of Mia's royal lineage, the ensuing media frenzy startles Mia and her family - as does the sudden attention by the unlikeliest of her classmates. The object of her secret crush, Josh Bryant (ERIK VON DETTEN) suddenly seems enamored of her, and he asks Mia to be his date at the Baker Beach party.
A stretch of Malibu's Zuma Beach was transformed into San Francisco's Baker Beach for the party where Mandy Moore - as the spurned Lana - performs a song with her friends Anna (BETH ANNE GARRISON) and Fontana (BIANCA LOPEZ). Josh takes Mia sailing on his boat and the crowd dances into the evening. When the party ends in a paparazzi nightmare of helicopters and flashbulbs, the young princess' dream date turns sour.
The former Doheny Mansion, now St. Mary's College near downtown Los Angeles, served as the Genovian consulate, the site for several key scenes in the film, including Mia's first meeting with her grandmother, Queen Clarisse; Mia's dance lessons; her makeover by a pompous stylist Paolo; and the climactic Genovian Ball.
"The Doheny Mansion is a masterpiece," notes production designer Mayne Berke. "The mansion was built over the period of 1896 and 1903, and the atrium was added in 1917. Comfort Tiffany himself designed the atrium's beautiful dome, where the ballroom scenes were shot. It's a really wonderful space."
The Mansion contains the late Mrs. Doheny's antique furniture, paintings, silverware and china, which remained with the home when she left the building and its contents to the church. Now a branch of Mt. St. Mary's College, the building houses the college's executive offices and residence facilities, which remained open while production was shooting there.
Other scenes set in the Genovian Consulate, including a Genovian state dinner where Mia's social shortcomings become all too apparent, were shot on Disney's Stage 2, where Julie Andrews had filmed "Mary Poppins."
"The street where the Banks family lived was on this stage," recalls Andrews. "I remember the street set very well, although the Disney lot has changed so much in the years since we made 'Mary Poppins' - the whole layout of the lot is very different today."
The L.A. Rock Gym, a rock climbing facility located in Hawthorne became Rocks Around The Clock, where Mia works part time after school. This location served as the backdrop for a mid-air heart-to-heart between Mia and her mother, as well as the site of a scene where Mia first senses a growing attraction to Michael.
Anne Hathaway took rock-climbing lessons for these scenes, and found it exciting.
"I really enjoyed the challenge of trying something new, and it's a lot of fun," says Hathaway of the sport. "I've always been into sports, and I really feel athletics are a great way to stay fit and feel good about yourself."
Director Garry Marshall shares his young star's love of sports: "I love sports, so I put sports in all of my pictures," says Marshall. "In 'The Princess Diaries,' we have girls and boys playing soccer, baseball, golf, sailing and cheerleading … and Mandy Moore is one of the cheerleaders!"
During a break in filming, Marshall received an impromptu baton-twirling lesson from Moore and her fellow cheerleaders, played by Beth Anne Garrison and Bianca Lopez.
Athletics aren't the only game in town, however. Lilly's brother Michael (ROBERT SCHWARTZMAN) performs in a rock band called Fly Paper, when he's not helping out at Doc Motor's garage, and the quirky Jeremiah (PATRICK FLUEGER) performs magic tricks for his favorite audience, Lilly (HEATHER MATARAZZO) who wishes he would just disappear.
Robert Schwartzman was initially quite nervous before his audition for Garry Marshall, but calmed down as they talked about the role.
"At first I got really freaked out at the audition, but I felt comfortable after talking with Garry," says Schwartzman. "We talked about who I am and my hobbies … I play music and that's what they were looking for, a musician, for the role of Michael." Schwartzman is lead singer/songwriter and plays keyboards and guitar for the L.A. band Rooney. His character, Michael, has a passion for music … and for Mia.
"I think Michael cares for Mia because she's not perfect," says Schwartzman. "She makes mistakes, like embarrassing herself in debate class, but shows up again the next day. And he loves her for that."
Patrick Flueger, a resident of Red Wing, Minnesota, had only high school plays and local theatre to his credit when he found himself with a role in "The Princess Diaries." His cousin and some friends, who were Minneapolis casting directors, sent a tape of his to Garry Marshall.
"Garry liked the tape they sent, so they flew me out for a screen test, and I met him," recalls Flueger. "He's a legend, so I was kind of awestruck. I don't think I've ever been that nervous!"
"My character, Jeremiah, is into computers and magic tricks, and he has an earring and nuclear-red hair," says Flueger of his character. "He likes Lilly - he looks at her and sees someone who could probably kick his butt - and he finds that attractive!"
Although "The Princess Diaries" is part fantasy, the filmmakers took care to ground the film and its characters in reality.
"We tried to cast real kids in this picture," says Garry Marshall. "I had nine kids under the age of 18 in this film - talented, great minds. If you look closely at a lot of high school pictures, there's a guy around 45 years old with a beard, playing a high school kid! In 'The Princess Diaries,' we try to be honest and bring you kids who are kids - and funny kids at that."
"Garry didn't want to make a flat-out fairy tale, he wanted to ground the movie in reality, about a real girl, living a normal life," says producer Mario Iscovich. "He added fairy tale and fantasy to the story, but on the foundation of real people to whom the audience can relate."
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