Collider – May 28, 2021 at 1:21PM:
From director Craig Gillespie, the live-action flick Cruella explores the early days of one of cinema’s most notorious villains, from her rebellious school years as Estella (Emma Stone) to that of the punk rock-inspired fashionista Cruella. Her flair for fashion catches the eye of the terrifying Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), who puts a series of events in motion in to preserve her own legendary fashion empire, which leads to surprising revelations and some wicked revenge.
During a virtual conference to promote the film, co-stars Stone and Thompson talked about getting to make a dark Disney movie, the process of creating the fabulous and nightmarish Baroness, the challenges of wearing the wardrobe, the 1970s setting, Estella versus Cruella, and whether the Baroness or Cruella would win in a fist fight.
Question: Were you surprised at how deliciously dark Disney allowed this movie to get?
EMMA STONE: I was. They really let Craig [Gillespie] and Tony [McNamara] write and make what they wanted to make. It’s definitely dark for a Disney movie. Maybe not for a really intense R-rated film, but it’s darker than I’ve seen a Disney movie be for a good long time.
The Baroness is new to this universe, and she is both fabulous and also a living nightmare. What was the process of creating her?
EMMA THOMPSON: Oh, well, I drew on life, obviously. I think if my husband were in the room, he’d say, “And no acting required, really.” I had such fun doing her. I’ve been asking for quite a number of years, if I could be a proper villain. I spent decades playing what my mother used to call, “Good women in frocks,” and now I got to play a really evil woman in frocks, but oh boy, the frocks. They actually wore me, is really what happened. I just had the best time. Every time Em and I would come on set, we’d just look at each other and walk around each other, like we were sculptures or works of art, which we were. In a way, everyone created the Baroness, and then I stepped in and just said the words.
Emma Stone and Emma Thompson Talk Cruella, Fashion and Fights
Thirty Mile Zone 