- Title: Angelina Jolie and Michele Pfeiffer praise female-driven 'Maleficient' sequel
- Date: 15th October 2019
- Summary: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 29, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, SAYING: "There's like 100 tropes that are exploded in this film and I think that all of that... It's almost in every frame there's a trope that's being inverted and placed differently and I think that's really an exciting direction for storytelling to go in and I think the storytelling that once appear to be geared at children and at young people but also for all of us who existed with certain narratives as we were growing up, seeing those explored in different ways, I think is very exciting." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, SAM RILEY, SAYING: "It's not about opening up the gray area, it's about examining it because it is there. That is life and I think it's important. And I think that children are sensitive enough to understand that as well that things are a little bit more complicated than just good and evil."
- Embargoed: 29th October 2019 21:42
- Keywords: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Angelina Jolie Elle Fanning Michelle Pfeiffer Walt Disney feminism fantasy fairytale
- Location: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS;
- City: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS;
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA00DB17ME6L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Five years after the first live action Disney film 'Maleficent' hit the big screen, the sequel 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' ramps up the subversive narrative, special effects and female power of the original.
Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) is now queen of the fairies and about to be princess of the human realm after her boyfriend Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) proposes to her. However, instead of bringing the fairy folk and the humans closer together, this union brings Aurora's godmother, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her future mother-in-law, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) into conflict with each other and Maleficent once again finds herself tainted by the experience.
Although the original had one powerful female character in Maleficent, the sequel offers three female roles who are each, in their own way, battling for power - leaving their male co-stars, for once, out of the spotlight.
Maleficent and Queen Ingrith come head to head early in the film over a dinner scene where the families meet each other for the first time. However, the get-together doesn't go as planned and Maleficent flees as a wanted criminal.
"Our first scene together was the dinner scene and so we had a lot of days and maybe weeks - it did go on - but just because it was so long. I think it was 10 pages long but it was really fun and Maleficent as Angie is very formidable. It was exciting, actually, to play those scenes together," said Pfeiffer.
The look of the sequel is also amplified with more fantastical creatures added to the universe as well as more intricate costumes for the lead actresses.
The sequel continues the message of the original not to judge a book by its cover and not to polarize people with labels.
Riley said "It's not about opening up the gray area, it's about examining it because it is there. That is life and I think it's important. And I think that children are sensitive enough to understand that as well that things are a little bit more complicated than just good and evil."
'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' begins its global rollout from October 16.
(Production: Rollo Ross) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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