When you created the backstory for Maleficent and you wrote
the first film, did you think, even then, that there was a chance you’d
be able to return to this character and explore her and her world
further for a sequel, or were you surprised when Disney actually came
back to you for another film?
WOOLVERTON: Well, we were just trying to get that one accomplished
and successful. We had no idea how it would be accepted because with the
change-up, making Maleficent the protagonist, it was just insane. When
they came to me with that, I said, “That can’t be done. She kills a
baby. Can’t happen! Cannot!” And then, I went away and thought about it,
and I came up with a way to make us understand where she was, at that
point in time. We changed it from dying to just sleeping forever because
dying was just too much.
Was there a moment when you realized they were serious about wanting a sequel?
WOOLVERTON: It took awhile to decide to do the sequel, and then it
took awhile to find what that would be. We went down three paths that
didn’t play out, so it took awhile to get this. It took a bit.
What was it that finally led you here? Did it help knowing what the story wasn’t to find what the story would be?
WOOLVERTON: That’s interesting. For me, I thought, “Okay, what
happened? To me, the most significant thing about the movie is the
relationship with Maleficent and Aurora, and how that changes as Aurora
matures and becomes her own person. It’s really about motherhood, and
mothers and daughters, and even the slant of the adopted child, which
was very much Angelina Jolie’s feelings about it. That, to me, was the
most significant thing, and that was always played up, through all of
the various versions that we did. But it was also the concept of her
discovering herself and where she came from because she was always
different than everybody else. She was so big. Why was she so big? It
was also about the discovery of others like her, and that theme of the
destruction of nature.
I really appreciated that the prince also gets his own story,
and is more than just the prince who rides in to save the princess.
WOOLVERTON: Yeah. It was too bad we didn’t get the original guy
(Brenton Thwaites), but this current fellow (Harris Dickinson) is
fantastic. I actually talked to my daughter about modern relationships
with young people, especially strong women, and how that has changed,
and how we could depict that, in a really positive way. I feel really
happy about the fact that you really, really feel that they love each
other.
There are so many fun side characters in this. Were there any
of the supporting characters that you found most fun or entertaining to
write for?
WOOLVERTON: They were all fun. My favorite character of all, who
really didn’t get that much to do in this one is Diaval. I love him.
He’s the one who says no to power. He’s her conscience. She torments
him. And I love the actor. Sam Riley is really great. But all of the
little supporting characters are really fun, too. We got more
personality for the different fairies this time. We actually got to make
personalities for them, which was wonderful.
Did any scenes or characters get cut from the film, that you were bummed not to get to see in the finished product?
WOOLVERTON: No. Nobody got cut. Everybody hung in there. They were all in. Everybody had their moment in the sun.
Did already knowing who Maleficent is make it easier to write for her, this time around?
WOOLVERTON: Yes. It took a long time to find her, in the first movie.
I would write a version and Angie would say, “We lost her.” And then, I
would go back and rewrite it again. So, finding that balance for
Maleficent was hard because she isn’t mushy and she’s not prone to
sentiment. So, to find that character and see within her, her deep
feelings and her caring for her daughter, was a fine balance. But then,
we knew that and we had that, so we could move forward. And then, the
new thing, with this one, was to make her vulnerable. How do you make
that strong character vulnerable, when she enters into her new world?
What’s it been like to have someone like Angelina Jolie to work directly with, throughout the process of all of this?
WOOLVERTON: She was so much a part of creating it, and we worked very
closely together creating this version of Maleficent, as opposed to the
original animated movie. So, my relationship with her was really
founded in that. We discovered the character together. And the thing
about Angie is that she’s a writer, as well. She’s a really
multi-talented individual. She isn’t just all about being an actress.
She really brings so much to the table. If it would have just been me,
the character would have been softer because I’m a little softer than
Angelina. So, finding that middle ground was the key.
Since you were taking the antagonist of the story and making
them the protagonist, was it challenging to then find an adversary for
her that was someone she could actually fear a bit?
WOOLVERTON: Yeah. That was one of the bumps, along the way. She has
to have a worthy opponent because she’s so powerful. The question was
always, “Well, why doesn’t she just turn everybody into frogs and be
done with it?” As with the first movie, we had to limit her power
somehow. In the first movie, we had the iron. In this one, we wounded
her, which limited her powers, and then found a way to destroy her and
her kind, with Ingrith. And then, the casting was also important, with
these two very powerful, equal stars. Ingrith had to be bad enough to
make her a worthy opponent to Maleficent. Plus, there was the emotional
connection of the threat to Maleficent, of taking her daughter away.
A lot of writers include pieces of themselves in their characters. Do you feel like there are aspects of you in Maleficent?
WOOLVERTON: Yes, I do. I don’t think you can write a character of
that nature without finding yourself in it somehow. Also, with my agenda
of moving the needle forward, every time out, I really wanted to depict
women, in all of our different colors, and not just being nice or
heroic, all the time. We can be bitches, and I wanted to show us all, in
all of our colors. She embodies all of that.
You’ve written movies, you’ve written for television, you’ve
written animated projects, and you’ve worked with Disney for a number of
years. Have you had any conversations about writing anything for Marvel
or for Lucasfilm? Do you have interest in doing a superhero movie or a Star Wars movie, if those opportunities were to arise?
WOOLVERTON: I really don’t. I think there are people that are better
at that than I am. They’re done so well that I really couldn’t even
bring anything new to what they already have. I put a lot of emotion
into my work. I can write an action, but I get bored if there isn’t
something in its heart and it isn’t going to move the audience, in some
way. Those movies do, no question about it, but the way that we connect
to characters and the way that they stand the test of time is how we see
ourselves in them, in our common humanity.
Is there a type of character that you would still love to write for, to explore, and to get to know deeper?
WOOLVERTON: There are so many characters that are not even
necessarily Disney characters. There are certainly women characters, and
they don’t always have to automatically be the strong woman either. We
can watch them get there. Also, I really want to look at all of the
different ethnicities and indigenous cultures. There are a lot of
stories that actually need to be told and a lot of voices that haven’t
been heard, so if I can help find a way to shine a light there, I’d like
to do that, too.
Random
As Disney has been proudly trumpeting,
MMoE is entering its 2nd weekend
with a 95% audience score based on an already sizeable 8.6K ratings. It has only gone down 1% from its peak and may thus be
close to its equilibrium level. For comparison, fan boy faves
Zombieland is at 89% based on 5.6K ratings from an initial high of 95%, and
Joker is at 89% based on 52K from a high of 98%. Maleficent does not have a fanatical base so the initial ratings were always closer to the general public's. Since RT only shows ratings from verified ticket buyers, it is reflective of true audience sentiment.
-- Fussy
=======
The Rome Film Festival’s independently run Alice in the City sidebar,
which is dedicated to films for children and youth, has scored several
coups recently, including the European premiere of Disney’s “
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” attended by stars
Angelina Jolie and
Michelle Pfeiffer. The sidebar also managed to get
Casey Affleck to fly over for the Italian launch of his directorial debut, “
Light of My Life.”
Variety spoke to co-founder and artistic director
Fabia Bettini
about how the event has managed to gain prominence on the international
children’s festival circuit and maintain a distinctive identity.
At the recent MIA market in Rome, there was lots of talk
about Alice making a quantum leap this year. How did you score the
“Maleficent” premiere?
Alice’s strength has always been, paradoxically, not to
chase after stars. When we see a film we fall in love with it,
regardless of its star power. I adore “Maleficent 2.” In speaking to
Disney months ago, we saw that we could have a premiere close to our
festival dates. So…we gambled on it and we got lucky.
Initially, it was just meant to be
Michelle Pfeiffer [attending]. But then
Angelina Jolie
decided to come, which obviously became a game changer, and so it
became the European premiere, ahead of London. This is because Disney
has been aware of what we’ve been doing for the past 17 years…Maybe
“Maleficent” didn’t need us to help it compete with “Joker,” though
we
are happy that it’s now ahead of “Joker” [at the Italian box office].
But maybe they did benefit from us in terms of our know-how in turning
out a really appealing premiere.
