“She’s just fantastic, she’s royalty, a lady with a capitol ‘L,’” adds Hathaway. “She knows how to make people laugh. When you’re on a Julie Andrews set, she is the hostess, and she makes sure she knows everyone. She’s completely gracious, and so witty and funny, and her great ideas always make a scene better. I have learned so much from her.”
Andrews sees her character, Queen Clarisse as “practical, very down-to-earth, but slightly eccentric. She is a very good monarch in that she cares so much for her country and its people, but she’s also slightly wacky, and perhaps a bit naïve and innocent in some ways.”
Andrews reveals that Princess Mia may not be the only character experiencing romance in “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”: “The interesting thing from the first movie is that lots of children have asked me ‘Are you and Joseph going to get together?’,” says Andrews. “The first movie hinted at a relationship between Clarisse and Joseph, but in this film we develop that. It’s a very sweet relationship—they have their little fights and tussles, but they’re very, very fond of each other.”
“Joseph tries to maintain a certain decorum, an aristocratic tone in his position as the Palace’s chief of security—unfortunately, he didn’t count on falling in love with the Queen,” says Elizondo. “We will see their romance blossom a bit, but not without some trouble along the way.”
Other cast reprising their roles include Heather Matarazzo as Mia’s best friend, Lilly; Caroline Goodall as Mia’s mother Helen; Larry Miller as Paolo, Mia’s self-important makeover guru; and Kathleen Marshall as Queen Clarisse’s executive assistant.
Marshall notes her character is kept quite busy with coordinating all of the high-level events in this film. “Charlotte is very efficient. She has to be, since she’s coordinating all of the events, guest lists, security and schedules for the Queen and Princess Mia,” says Marshall. “I think there’s only one scene in the entire movie where I don’t have my clipboard with me!”
The film’s talented returning cast is complemented by several top actors new to “The Princess Diaries” story.
John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings” & “Indiana Jones” trilogies) portrays the duplicitous Viscount Mabrey, a blustering braggart who plots against Mia in her quest for the throne.
Chris Pine makes his motion picture debut as Lord Nicholas Devereux, nephew of Viscount Mabrey. Nicholas is a handsome and devilishly charming young man whose presence in Genovia alternately intrigues and annoys Mia.
“Nicholas is a fantastic romancer, and he likes to charm. He’s described in the script as Cary Grant reborn, and he engages in a lot of witty repartee,” says Pine of his character. “I’m used to playing the brooding, complicated dour guy, so it’s a great change of pace for me.”
“Chris and I have had so much fun on this film,” says Anne Hathaway. “We’ve had some amazing scenes together in which I’m brimming over with passion for my fellow actor, making what I thought was great eye contact with him from across the room, my heart’s fluttering, then at the end of the take, I’d say ‘Wasn’t that good?!’ And he hadn’t seen me the entire time—he’s blind as a bat!”
Movie Database
In Theaters
