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Emma Stone has been set to play Disney’s young Cruella de Vil since 2016. But somehow, just as she would finally get the chance to step on set and don the black and white wig, the La La Land actress suffered an injury when she slipped and broke her shoulder. At the time, reports spread regarding how Stone’s accident may have negatively impacted the live-action prequel. As it turns out, this was a blessing in disguise.
When CinemaBlend attended Disney’s Cruella virtual press conference with costume designer Jenny Beavan, she nearly celebrated Emma Stone for the ill-timed fall, but it was for a solid reason. Here’s what Beavan said:
We originally only had 10 weeks prep. We gained an extra six weeks cause Emma Stone had a minor shoulder injury that needed a lot of rest and recuperation for which saved our lives. And we blessed her on a daily basis. So we got actually sixteen weeks of prep. And then, of course, you're obviously working through the filming schedule because you only ever can, you know, you're working in schedule order. You don't do the end of the film first, or the end of the schedule first. You have to keep working at it.
Emma Stone actually gave Cruella’s costume designer Jenny Beavan the gift of time following the doctor’s orders for her sit out filming for a few weeks in summer 2019. The Oscar-winning costumer had the challenge of creating a host of looks for the Disney fashionista and her rival in the film, Emma Thompson’s Baroness, along with original fashion lines being showcased throughout the film. Beavan’s fashion is basically another leading lady in Cruella, and an incredible amount of work had to go into getting these looks ready.
When news broke of Emma Stone’s shoulder injury, it was initially believed that the actress had fallen off a friend’s shoulders while attending a Spice Girls reunion concert. Stone is a vocal fan of the girl group, and Baby Spice herself, Emma Bunton, shared a photo with her on Instagram just before the injury was reported. Later, the news was refuted with People reporting she slipped on the floor at someone’s home.
Although holding up a production never seems like it would be great for a movie, at least on Jenny Beavan's side, it was a blessing. Check out some of the bold looks to come in Cruella in the trailer below:
Cruella is coming to theaters and to Disney+ Premier Access later this month, much like Raya and the Last Dragon's release. You can sign up for Disney+ using this link.
Jenny Beavan has been a costume designer for over 40 years, previously doing the costumes for movies such as Gosford Park, Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes and The King’s Speech. During the press conference, she also spoke about how the movie ranks among her other major undertakings with the following:
I don’t think [Cruella] was my biggest challenge. I would say Mad Max was because that was so out of my comfort zone. Because that was so out of my comfort zone. But it also opened up a virtually a whole new career for me because having done a huge amount of lovely period dramas particularly English sort of Victorian ages and regency. I think people were slightly surprised that I could tackle the post-apocalyptic world in a rather disgusting way.
That being said, Cruella had Jenny Beavan creating over 40 original looks to help tell the story of Emma Stone’s Estella as she evolves into Cruella de Vil while trying to make a name for herself in the fashion industry in ‘70s London. The movie comes to theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on May 28.
