Julie Andrews ‘The Princess Diaries’ Casting Led to a Significant Change From the Book
In 2001, Disney’s adaptation of Meg Cabot’s best-selling book The Princess Diaries took the world by storm. The film was a coming-of-age story of Mia Thermopolis, an awkward teenage girl who discovers she’s the heir to the Genovian throne. As it turns out, Julie Andrews’ casting as Mia’s grandmother, Clarisse Renaldi, led to a significant change from the book.
Mia’s dad was killed off in ‘The Princess Diaries’ to make room for Julie Andrews’ character
When Garry Marshall signed on to direct The Princess Diaries, he knew he needed a big-name star to play the queen regent of Genovia, Clarisse. The character was an integral part of the story, and he needed someone who could bring the necessary gravitas and elegance to the role. That’s when Andrews came on board. With her impressive resume and legendary status as an actor, she was the perfect choice to play the royal grandmother.
But when Andrews signed on for the role, the filmmakers realized they had a problem. In the book, Mia’s father is alive, albeit unable to have any more children. He’s a key character who supports his daughter throughout her journey to become a princess. But with Andrews playing Clarisse, they couldn’t have Mia’s father in the picture. It would be too confusing for the audience and detract from the relationship between Mia and her grandmother.
So the filmmakers made a bold decision. They decided to kill off Mia’s father before the events of the movie. In the film, Mia’s father is said to have died in a car accident when she was a baby. It’s a tragic backstory that sets up the movie’s emotional arc. Mia is struggling to come to terms with her father’s death and tries to find her place in the world without him.
Meg Cabot was on board with the idea of killing off Mia’s father
When Meg Cabot, the author of The Princess Diaries, first heard about the change to her story, she was shocked. She had created a character in Mia’s father that was important to the narrative, and she couldn’t believe they were killing him off. But after Debra Martin (the film’s producer) explained why Mia’s father had to die, Cabot realized the change was necessary.
“Debra called me and said, ‘We have to kill off the father from your book,'” shared Cabot in a 2021 interview with Cosmopolitan. She continued, “And I said, ‘Why?’ And she said, ‘We want to have a bigger role for the grandmother because we’ve got this great actress that wants to play her.’ And I asked, ‘Who’s the actress?’ ‘It’s Julie Andrews.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god. Kill him. Kill the dad.'”
Over the years, Cabot has said that she was pleased with how the movie turned out. She even wrote several more books in the series, which were inspired by the movie’s success.
Julie Andrews does not see herself returning for ‘The Princess Diaries 3’
In November 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a third installment of The Princess Diaries was in the works. Fans of the series were excited to see what Mia and her grandmother would be up to next. But when Andrews was asked if she would be returning for the third movie, she had some disappointing news.
In a December interview with Access Hollywood, the actor said, “I think we know that it’s probably not going to be possible. It was talked about very shortly after [Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement] came out, but it’s now how many years since then? And I am that much older, and [Anne Hathaway] the princess, our queen, is so much older. And I am not sure whether it would float or run.”
Andrews’ portrayal of Clarisse is definitely one of the most memorable and quotable parts of The Princess Diaries. And while it’s unfortunate that she might not return for a third film, we’re glad we got to see her in the first two.
