Anna Kendrick & director Rob Marshall discuss Cinderella in Into the Woods

And for today’s installment of “I cannot stop talking about Into The Woods” I bring to you – our interview with Director Rob Marshall and Actress Anna Kendrick. Rob Marshall did an incredible job directing this all star cast in a very well known and well loved musical – and Anna Kendrick plays the role of Cinderella who’s story shows that “Happily Ever After” is perhaps not what we need to strive for.

When asked about what he admired about Actress Anna Kendrick, Rob Marshall had this to say;

“It’s easy to talk about Anna ‘cause I adore her. Uh, the truth is, you know, she really — that voice is extraordinary and I think everybody looked up to her in the cast because of that, everybody because, you know, she comes from that in a very rich background with her Broadway experience as a child. So to have that gift is amazing and, you know, the thing I guess what surprised me the most about Anna is her range as an actor, you know. The fact that she was able to with this piece open up and show such depth and vulnerability and agility and complexity….. Anna lets you in this movie. She lets you into this person who’s indecisive and not sure and wrestling with her, with what she’s feeling and it’s a very brave personal, beautiful performance and I’m very proud of it. Very proud of her.”

*She got a little embarrassed by all the gushing*

He went on to gush about the cast as a whole as well, he said they all knew they were a part of something that was very special. “There was a sense of honoring this beautiful piece. We’re all very lucky. Musicals are few and far between anyway. A Sondheim musical is really few and far between and so we felt very lucky to be doing that and, you know, I felt everybody supporting each other.”

Anna Kendrick was asked about playing Cinderella, that so many little girls grow up wanting to be Cinderella; what was that like? Anna made me love her even more when she said “It’s funny because I think a lot of girls’ dream of playing Cinderella and a certain kind of girl dreams of playing Sondheim Cinderella.”  Without giving too much away for those who are not familiar with the story – Sondheim’s Into The Woods Cinderella was born in the 80s and she is a beautiful modern twist that I think girls can really look up to. Sondheim’s Cinderella is kind of revolutionary and for all the right reasons. Without giving away too much, Cinderella decides she might need to call it off with Prince Charming when he says the line “I was raised to be Charming, not sincere.”  She wasn’t gonna stand for that –  Charm and financial security is not all that little girl’s should hope for – thank you Sondheim for that evolution.

Rob Marshall also spoke at length of this new Cinderella “To me the idea that we’re seeing a princess who chooses the unknown over security I think is an important message for girls but I also think that the idea that it’s not as simple as right and wrong and who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy especially, uh, when, you know, breakups and divorce and separation are a part of our lives all the time. They happen all the time and I think it’s a really outdated notion that one person is right and one person is wrong and I hope that Cinderella’s journey in this is a reflection of that and a reflection of forgiveness and compassion.”

I remember the first time I saw Into the Woods and Cinderella’s storyline kind of blew up my Cinderella loving mind. It was revolutionary and empowering, but she doesn’t go about it in a blaze of glory; forgiveness and compassion are such a big part of why Sondheim’s Cinderella is all kinds of different.

If you have not yet watched the Into The Woods Trailer I dare say you are a crazy person. Please stop what you are doing and watch the trailer (linked) – then clear your evening and go to the movies! You can thank me later!

Thank you to Rob Marshall and Anna Kendrick for taking the time to share about Into The Woods with us!