In Kay Cannon's modern retelling of the classic fairy tale, now streaming on Amazon Prime, Cinderella isn't waiting around for some prince to save her. She's got bigger dreams.
Cinderella Has Finally Become the Hero of Her Own Story
I'm one of seven kids and from a very small town in rural Illinois. There was a lot of running around, getting dirty, and needing to be scrappy to get enough to eat at dinnertime. So while I could relate to Cinderella always having dirt on her face, I didn't connect to the idea that a prince would swoop down and rescue me. Fairy tales, in general, lost me when they featured princesses who were waiting to be saved. My parents always taught me that the way you improved your life was through hard work and belief in yourself. And that the things in life worth achieving never just fell in your lap.
So when James Corden told me his idea to retell Cinderella using contemporary songs, I was so excited. Finally I could rewrite the story as I have always imagined it. I knew I could take this beloved character and make her more relatable. Make her more active. Make her the hero of her own story.
Beyond that, I wanted her appeal to cross gender lines and age groups so that any shes, hes, or theys could watch this movie and understand the message: Not only should everybody be allowed to have dreams; they should be allowed to actively pursue them.
My Cinderella rebels against the people who tell her she can't pursue her passion. She ignores the dream crushers and gatekeepers and bets on herself. And with the help of the Fab G, she goes to the ball—not to meet the prince but to network and work toward her dream of owning her own business.
And when the prince says, “She's the one,” and picks her to be his princess, she doesn’t let it derail her. I remember when I was right out of college, I had to decide which path my life would take: There was the more conservative choice of getting married and settling down. And then there was another path. The unbeaten one. It required me to take a big leap—alone and without a safety net. I ultimately chose the latter. It was terrifying. But I got into improv and performing, my true passion, and I’m happy that I did. Looking back, I felt like I chose myself because it was what I truly wanted. It's a lesson I'm trying to impart to my own daughter: Whatever choice one makes is okay, as long as it’s the one that you want. You can pick yourself.
Another big change I made in the story was with the stepmother character. I wanted the audience to understand why she treats Cinderella the way she does. When you learn that she had dreams of her own that were crushed, you understand her better. You empathize with her more. There’s some classic meanness there, of course, but in this version the stepmother actually cares for Cinderella and mothers her the only way she knows how—through tough love. She truly thinks that the only way to survive is to marry above your station. And why wouldn't she after what she's been through?
Cinderella is like the character Rocky. She has all these obstacles in front of her that she overcomes. She knows what she is up against and goes for it anyway. It's her influence and example that sparks change with the people around her. By the end the stepmother comes around and supports Cinderella’s dreams. The king adjusts his outdated way of thinking, the queen stands up for herself and finds her voice, and the prince discovers that he can choose a new path in life. It was important to me that we didn’t end on Cinderella and Prince Robert getting together. Instead it ends with a dance party, after the whole kingdom has undergone a transformation for the better.
My goal when writing and directing this movie wasn't to hit you over the head with heavy-handed messaging. It’s told in a highly entertaining way—through jokes and songs—and with the intention to make people feel joy. If you leave with a big smile on your face, then I’m a happy person. And if you leave feeling inspired to bet on yourself, then my heart is singing.
Cinderella, written and directed by Kay Cannon, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Condé Nast
