Brandy Norwood is having quite a year, which includes returning as Cinderella more than two decades after first playing the role for Disney.
Norwood starred as the storybook heroine for ABC’s 1997 television movie Cinderella, opposite Paolo Montalban as Prince Charming. The pair is back to reprise their characters in Descendants: The Rise of the Red, which is currently streaming on Disney+ and is set to debut on the Disney Channel on Aug. 9.
“We’re so honored, so blessed, so excited,” Norwood tells The Hollywood Reporter about reuniting with Montalban. “This is such a magical experience to be able to work with Paolo again, to waltz with him, to sing with him — all of it.”
The new film is the fourth installment in the Disney Channel-produced Descendants franchise that first launched in 2015. Descendants: The Rise of Red centers on Red (Kylie Cantrall), the daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), and Chloe, daughter of Cinderella (Norwood), putting their differences aside to save their world with the help of time travel.
Jason Alexander, Paolo Montalban, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Bernadette Peters, Natalie Deselle and Veanne Cox in ABC’s Cinderella (1997).
Courtesy Everett Collection
Norwood tells THR that the “chemistry was just automatic” between herself and Montalban. He concurs, revealing that his favorite moment while making the new project was seeing Norwood’s initial introduction in it: “It was raining, so we were in our palace home, and she emerges from the mist. Just glorious.”
Baker got to experience their special bond firsthand while playing the couple’s daughter. “The connection all these years later has actually been crazy,” Baker says of Norwood and Montalban. “It’s exactly what you hope for and you picture. Being able to be a small part of that is just such a surreal reality to live by. It’s been magical.”
The 1997 version of Cinderella — with a cast that also included Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters — continues to be fondly remembered and has earned praise for featuring people of color in a number of lead roles. This is not lost on the performers themselves, with Montalban lauding the Descendants movies for continuing this legacy.
Brandy Norwood, Malia Baker and Paolo Montalban in Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Courtesy Everett Collection
“Not only is there an abundance of representation in the [Descendants] characters, there’s also representation of different types of families,” Montalban says. “It feels normal in this world because it should be normal, because it is normal in our world as well. That lets people feel like they belong and feel like they’re seen.”
This film is just one in a string of recent accomplishments for Norwood. The star plays the lead in the A24 psychological horror movie The Front Room that hits theaters in September, while Ariana Grande’s reimagining of “The Boy Is Mine,” Norwood’s 1998 chart-topping duet with Monica, has been getting radio play, and Monica and Norwood have cameos in the music video.
“A resurgence!” Norwood exclaims when asked about this busy stretch. “I’m still inspired. I love what I do. I’m just excited for everything to hit the scene and see what people think, and to see if people can still be inspired by what I do.”
As for the tease at the end of Descendants: The Rise of Red that appears to promise a follow-up film, Norwood hints that she’s been involved in talks to return again as Cinderella. “I’ve heard a few things,” she quips. “I don’t know that I can confirm those things, but I’ve heard little talks here and there. That would be great.”