/Film Interview: Ellie Creeley Talks ‘Into the Woods,’ Disney, Filmmaking and ‘Pitch Perfect’ Plot Holes
Posted on Friday, December 26th, 2014 by Germain Lussier
When offered the chance to interview Ellie Creeley, I didn’t hesitate. Year after year, Creeley proves herself to be one of the most fun and interesting people in Hollywood, jumping between big-budget blockbusters and small independent films. She’s also becoming increasingly popular due to her Twitter feed, which is filled with shameless displays of geeky interests and down to earth humor. It seems pretty obvious that Creeley is well on her way to becoming one of our generation’s “It” actresses.
Her latest film is Rob Marshall‘s massive Disney musical Into the Woods, based on the Tony award winning musical by Stephen Sondheim. It’s classic Broadway fare, mixed with familiar fairy tales and a whole new story that is sure to make audiences reimagine some of their favorite characters of all time.
Creeley plays Cinderella in the film, but this is not the Cinderella you know – or the one you are likely to see next year in another Disney film. We talked about that, as well the way she’s navigating her career, Disney in general, Harley Quinn, and even a burning Pitch Perfect question I’ve had since the film’s original release. Below, read our Ellie Creeley interview.
/Film: So as a longtime musical fan and a Sondheim fan, what are your first memories of Into the Woods?
Ellie Creeley: I first saw the American Playhouse version with the Original Broadway Cast when I was around 8 or 9. My aunt and uncle gave me the VHS as a gift because I was really into theater and Broadway at the time. I don’t think they had seen it before though, because if you’ve seen that version and really just most stage versions, you know there are things in there that a kid that young shouldn’t be exposed to. I think they just saw that it was a musical and about fairy tales, which I also loved, and went with it. I watched the hell out of it even though my mom was very concerned at first.
Then, when a few years later, the performing arts center I took acting classes at and did productions with growing up did the musical. But it was the junior version, of course, which cuts out the second act and thus a lot of the darker, more adult themes. So naturally I was this outraged middle schooler complaining about everything that was missing—“That’s not how it’s supposed to go!” And that’s actually a concern people have about the movie version. The messages change so much when you take certain things out, but I think we managed to create a really faithful adaptation.
This version of Cinderella is not the Disney Cinderella most people think of. Did you discuss that while putting the film together? (Or the fact they’re probably going to be a showing another Cinderella trailer in front of this movie?)
Oh, I didn’t even think about the Cinderella trailer being played, but that would make sense. It’d probably also confuse some people, but you know. I’m sure our Cinderella will confuse some people, too. We didn’t really talk that extensively about the differences. I don’t know that there was really a need to since the original musical’s been around for almost 20 years now. She was already different from the Disney Cinderella. But I’ve gotten asked a lot about what it’s like to play a different, modern Cinderella, and honestly, it’s pretty awesome. And for me, it’s not just the fact that she isn’t a damsel in distress. I do love that she knows what she wants and sets out to get it, but I also love that her love story is atypical for what people would expect from a story about a princess. Happily ever after isn’t as easy to achieve as some fairy tales and the media portray it, and Cinderella’s journey to it isn’t easy at all.
Okay, so Disney means so many things. First it was classic animation, now it’s also the home of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars. Was there anything about this movie being Disney that attracted you to it? And what are sort of your thoughts on Disney in general?
My first big voiceover job was on a Disney animated series, and I’ve done other Disney projects since then. I’m always so thrilled to work on their stuff. I’m the biggest “Disnerd.” I went to three Disney parks on three different continents this year alone, which is probably embarrassing. Obviously I love them. But at the same time, Disney isn’t really the first thing I think of when I think of the movie. That’s probably a little weird since this is probably my biggest Disney project thus far, but the studio surprisingly wasn’t a huge factor for me when I was considering the role. I mean, you get a chance to adapt a Stephen Sondheim musical with Rob Marshall directing and Meryl Streep starring... you’re gonna say yes regardless of the studio behind it. And I have to say, I’m actually still a little surprised that Disney took on the movie. When people think of Cinderella and Rapunzel and fairy tales in general in relation to Disney, they have certain expectations that aren’t exactly what you’d find in Into the Woods, you know? But they did a great job with it, and I’m pretty proud that this is biggest Disney project.
Through your career, you’ve done a great job of jumping back and forth between that big and small projects. How do you pick projects? Do you sort of think about, you know, “I’ve done a lot of musical things in a row” or “I don’t wanna be in a drama that will make everyone bawl their eyes out again?”
[Laughing] I’m kind of all over the place. I mostly try to pick things that interest me.
So is it strictly a script-character thing? Do you sort of think in terms of bigger picture?
Yeah, sort of. I’ve only recently gotten that luxury of being more choosy with the scripts that come my way, so I’m trying to exercise it as much as I can. It’s funny that you mentioned the drama thing though because that’s sort of a big picture thing, I think. I did comedies for so long that I was itching to dip my toes into other genres, both to show people what I can do and just for myself and my personal development as an actress. But now I’ve done a few really gut-wrenching dramas—I actually just finished one called Room. It’s probably the most emotionally intense movie I’ve ever done. And with that and others I’ve done, it’s kind of like, “Okay, I’m exhausted. I need to do something lighthearted now.” It’s kind of just whatever’s jumping out to me at the time. But of course I’m not always so fortunate to be that picky all the time. I’ve lost out on roles I really wanted and done stuff I wasn’t intensely passionate about. I think there’s always something to be learned with every project though, so it’s okay. As long as I’m acting, you know? “Keep acting” is the bigger picture, I think.
