Disney’s Cruella de Vil is one of the most iconic on-screen villains both in live-action and animation form, but what made Cruella into the evil dognapper with a taste for puppy fur as coats? This week’s release of Cruella, directed by ‘I, Tonya’ helmer Craig Gillespie gives Cruella an empathetic back story you reluctantly have to jump on board for.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Gillespie about his love for working with broken characters, where they began with a non-existent past and working with the wonderful Emma Stone and Emma Thompson and most importantly those fabulous costumes.
Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, the film follows a young grifter named Estella (Stone), a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly Haute, played by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.
Here’s the full interview,
Cruella hits UK cinemas May 28th.
