CRUELLA: Bringing the Iconic Backstory to Life

Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, The Finest Hours), director of the Disney film Cruella, spoke about the work of his crew and his overall experience shooting the summer blockbuster in an interview with BackstageOL.

Cruella is the origin story of the classic character who was first introduced in the novel The Hundred and One Dalmations before hitting the silver screen in the 1961 animated Disney film 101 Dalmations. Academy Award-winning actress Emma Stone stars in the titular role.

Gillespie described the production as an “enormous undertaking.” According to the director, it was noted between him and assistant director Alex Oakley by the end of the shoot they had done 2,700 setups in 65 days.

“We move at a very quick pace on the set,” said Gillespie. “Every 25 minutes we lit and shot a setup. You can’t do that without the talent of the whole crew plus the actors that you know can deliver.”

On top of the rapid pace, a story set in 1970s London emphasized the importance of the film’s production designer Fiona Crombie, whose resume includes other period pieces such as The Favourite (2018) & The King (2019).

“Fiona Crombie, our production designer, did an incredible job… just the attention to detail and seeing 400 people in Marie Antionette outfits with wigs and sixties makeup, it was astounding what the team could pull together every week.”

Gillespie’s previous film, I, Tonya (2017), received two Academy Award nominations for performances by Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, with the latter winning for the portrayal of Tonya Harding’s mother.

Stone and her co-star Emma Thompson represented an opportunity to work with another pair of veteran Hollywood actresses for Gillespie. The duo has a combined three Academy Award wins and seven nominations, respectively.

“The talent between our actors, Emma Thompson and Emma Stone, what I was most thrilled about in this movie. To see two powerful women going head to head is an amazing plot point that I’m very proud of in this film.”

Gillespie recalls shooting a specific scene with Stone when he reflects on the overall scale of production. A scene involving wires and, of course, a train.

“We did that garbage truck scene in the heart of London. [Stone] on the side of a garbage truck with a sixty-foot train at 3 a.m. in London on a Saturday night. Those are the really memorable experiences.”

Cruella will be released on Disney+ and in theaters on Friday, May 28.

This article was written by Justin Alvarez for BackstageOL.com. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram with the username r0cketman3.