Key Points
The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot reveals Disney killed off Mia’s father in the film so Julie Andrews could have more lines.
“We have an actress that we want to play the grandmother and she’s a really great actress and she hasn’t done anything in a while,” Cabot says Disney told her.
Princess Diaries 3 is currently in the works, but it remains uncertain if Andrews will appear.
Disney treated Julie Andrews like a queen during the production of The Princess Diaries.
The 2001 coming-of-age comedy starring Anne Hathaway was the Academy Award winner’s first Disney project since 1964’s Mary Poppins.
So to maximize Andrews’ screen time as Clarisse, Queen of Genovia, the studio royally minimized the role of her son, the former crown prince, and father of her granddaughter Mia in The Princess Diaries.
Meg Cabot, author of the adapted book series, revealed on CBS Mornings that Disney took several artistic liberties with the script, most notably they killed off Mia’s dad, who’s only shown in the film through flashbacks.
“They actually called me and they go, ‘Well, we have some bad news. We have to kill the dad in your book,'” Cabot recalled. “And I was like, ‘Why? What did he do?'”
As Disney explained to the author, “We have an actress that we want to play the grandmother and she’s a really great actress and she hasn’t done anything in a while and we really want to give her more lines. So, we’re going to kill the dad and give this actress the dead dad lines.”
Cabot was unsure until she learned the actress in question was Andrews, the Tony-nominated superstar who is one award shy of EGOT status.
Julie Andrews in ‘Princess Diaries 2’ in 2004
Credit: Disney+
“I said, ‘kill the dad,” she joked. “Bye, dad! It’s Julie. You’re out.”
The plot twist confused fans of the book, but it worked onscreen, as Clarisse reconnects with her estranged granddaughter Mia, now heir to the throne of Genovia, and gives her “princess lessons” so she may one day rule the kingdom.
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Andrews reprised her role in the 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement — which was her first time singing on film since throat surgery in 1997 left the legend with permanent damage to her vocal cords — but it remains uncertain if the 90-year-old actress will appear in the third film, which Hathaway recently confirmed.
Cabot revealed to CBS Mornings “we are castle shopping right now” to find the perfect Genovia for the production. “I’m like, ‘We need to go to Monaco for that,’ but we’ll see.”
The author also said she’s read “multiple scripts” for Princess Diaries 3 and they’ve all been “amazing,” although the last one is her favorite.
“Everyone returns in the script,” Cabot dished. “I don’t know if all the actors are going to be able to come back because obviously we have to work with their schedules, but I’m really excited. But I did tell them to not send me any more scripts because I’m so excited. I can’t stop talking and giving away spoilers.”
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