Set to debut November 12 on the Disney+ platform from Walt Disney Pictures is Lady and the Tramp, the live-action remake of the classic animated film voiced by Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.
In Disney+’s “Lady and the Tramp,” a timeless re-telling of the 1955 animated classic, a pampered house dog and a tough but lovable stray embark on an unexpected adventure and, despite their differences, grow closer and come to understand the value of home. Life is good for Lady, an overachieving American Cocker Spaniel who resides in an upscale suburban neighborhood. Her owners, Jim Dear and Darling, spoil her daily and her neighbors, Jock, an outspoken Scottish Terrier and Trusty, a world-weary Bloodhound, are always within barking distance.
But when a baby enters the picture, Lady is no longer the center of attention, and the arrival of cat-loving Aunt Sarah only complicates matters. Lady soon finds herself alone on the streets in an unwelcoming part of town. Fortunately, Tramp steps in, and the streetwise mongrel is quick to teach her the ways of the world. Before long, the prim and proper pure bred and the fast-talking mutt are partaking in moonlight strolls in the park and romantic spaghetti dinners by candlelight. Tramp savors the independence of a world without leashes or fences alongside his roguish friends Peg and Bull, but Lady misses the comfort and safety of a family, and soon both must decide where – and with whom – they belong.
The film stars Tessa Thompson as Lady, Justin Theroux as the Tramp, Thomas Mann as Jim Dear, Kiersey Clemons as Jim’s wife Darling, Ashley Jensen as Jackie the Scottish Terrier, Benedict Wong voicing Bull, an English bulldog, Sam Elliott as the voice of Trusty the Bloodhound, Janelle Monae as the voice of Peg the Pekingese, Yvette Nicole Brown as Aunt Sarah, Adrian Martinez as Elliot and Arturo Castro as Marco.
Charlie Bean (The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Tron Uprising) will be directing the live-action/CG hybrid film from a script by Andrew Bujalski.
Late in 2018, Blackfilm.com correspondent Nicole Granston was among the few journalists who traveled to Savannah, GA when the film was in production and spoke with a few of the cast members. Not only did the cast talk about their characters and experience working on the film, but we also got to mingle with some of the trained animals as well.
Among the cast we spoke to was Kiersey Clemons, who plays Jim’s wife Darling, and was last seen in the Blumhouse thriller “Sweetheart.”
How often do you get a good cuddle in with the dogs?
Kiersey Clemons: Very often. Yes. I work with Matild who trains Rose, who plays Lady, on a show earlier this year actually. There was a dog on set everyday so me and her are friends so she lets me just cuddle at the time. They were a little more selfish with the puppies because they’re small and very new to the world and we have to keep them really calm. Yeah we cuddle a lot.
Do you have dibs to take a dog?
Kiersey Clemons: I have a dog and I feel like it would be really suspect. I’ve been gone for a few months, if I just came back with another dog. I would love to take Tramp home, but they all have homes now.
Do you feel like you and Rose have bonded?
Kiersey Clemons: I do. She runs this set and she knows it. I can tell when she’s not into it that day. Because she’s so smart and she’s so on it, so when she’s not, I’m like, oh she knows this is her movie.
Did you have any personal attachment to the movie before you were asked?
Kiersey Clemons: Not particularly. It was just a movie I had seen in my childhood. When I was younger, my favorite Disney movies were Alice in Wonderland and Mulan. I think that because I didn’t, we never had a dog growing up, so movies about dogs, I don’t even know what it feels like to have dogs. I’m not gonna even bother. But I’d seen the movie and watched it repeatedly. Kind of like anything else, like Lion King.
What can you tell us about your character?
Kiersey Clemons: Well ,you see a lot more of Darling’s personality than you do in the original. That’s cool ‘cause that gives me room to kind of build up who I think she is. I’m using my imagination a lot, with the times and this fantasy world of it being Disney and her being this young woman of color. How much of this is something that I can show, be a representation to all the young girls that are gonna watch it. So I’ve made her a lot more assertive and she wears the pants in the relationship. It’s been fun and this is Disney so I get to use my imagination and I kind of see it as like creating this world of what it may have not been in 1910 for women or women of color particularly. I made her everything that maybe women didn’t get the chance to be at that time. So she’s one sassy broad.
What’s the connect like for you with the babies? You’re a mom in this.
Kiersey Clemons: We have triplets. I do have a favorite. Her name is Alley. All 3 are amazing but it’s important to have a favorite cause it’s kind of reliable. I can make a strong connection with her. She falls asleep in my arms. We also have a reliable baby so that is great. Her and the dogs as well, randomly do things that are so cute. And you know there’s no point in doing takes after this because this is the one. When we did the lullaby, she actually fell asleep in my arms.
Is it giving you baby fever?
Kiersey Clemons: Girl please. My arm the other day, we were going up and down the stairs. I was in a coat and hat and this wig and I was so hot and I was holding her because she was asleep and I didn’t want to pass her to her mom, I just wanted to keep it going. I’m walking up and down the stairs so my legs are sore. I’m this corset, can’t breathe and the next day I woke up and I couldn’t move my arm. That’s when I was like, oh I’m not having a baby. I’m not ready for this yet. I have to get my arm strengthened first. There’s much more to being a mom but I don’t know how you hold a baby.
Can you tell the difference between the triplets?
Kiersey Clemons: One has a cute little beauty mark, she has a mole on her left cheek. The other two one of them has a more circular head than the other. So you can tell the difference. And they’re so cute so you’re staring at them all the time so you start to tell the difference. Kind of the same with the 2 dogs Monty and Billy. Monty is our hero dog, but there’s two of them and one has a sad ear, that’s Billy.
Has it hit you yet, the gravity of being in a Disney film. The fact that Disney is so iconic. There’s the 1955 version and now the 2019 version.
Kiersey Clemons: It’s very exciting and I haven’t really thought about the next one. Who knows how long it will take to get around to doing another one, if they do. I think what we are doing is very special though and I doubt they’ll want to do this again with dogs. It’s just so much hard work. I’m not complaining. LOL We have the best dogs. They’re so well trained. And as patient as everyone is, we’re all genuinely all in such a good mood. And even in that, there are just some days when I didn’t know this scene was going to take so long. Maybe because the dog is tired. Sometimes it’s just really hard because you have to get them to do stuff with food, and they really want the food. The shots can be difficult, rightfully so. And you can’t communicate with them the way that you can with humans. It takes a lot of time. Also, we already used up all of Savannah, so good luck trying to do this again.
Do you have a favorite scene?
Kiersey Clemons: My favorite scene is at the end, when we rescue Tramp because I get to be the hero. I get to be the one, that’s like he has a home. It’s only thing that’s the most different than the original.
How do you feel like this movie is different than other classic movies, the version that you’re doing now?
Kiersey Clemons: I think there’s a lot of political awareness in terms of gender roles. The way we see Jim Dear and Darling interact with the baby and the dogs and things that they do around the house. It’s really exciting to make a movie aimed towards kids and to kind of show them something that maybe they don’t see in their own home. And because it’s Disney that gives us leeway to go as far as we want and create this dream world or what the world should look like and what households should look like. That’s not something you always have the opportunity to do. A lot of times it’s not a Disney movie, you’re watching things that are based on real life and everyone is like that’s a no, that doesn’t get to go, that would never happen. But you can’t tell us that here, none of this would really happen, dogs talk. LOL
Well, that’s interesting that you find more freedom with Disney, then I think sometimes people would think that it’s less freedom because of a standard.
Kiersey Clemons: I have more rights than more women all over the world and I’m aware of that. Although I have those rights there’s still so much scrutiny in our country, so much expectation that shouldn’t be there. Being able to have a medium like this, a space like this, where you can say, well those opinions don’t matter here because we’re in a different dimension we’re in Disneyland right now. Ya know and hopefully that translates into this dimension. It’s something that I recognized in the beginning and it was the biggest part of my excitement for the movie. Oh I would have so much freedom and Charlie allows us to improve and play and he loves it. And that’s also a win, to have a Director who allows it and encourages it.
Can you talk about your on screen husband? The chemistry that you have, did you meet before?
Kiersey Clemons: Thomas Mann. Thomas plays Jim Dear. I met Thomas at Sundance a few years ago and we ran into each other at photo shoots and stuff. We have mutual friends so we’re familiar with each other. We get along great. We have the same humor and I think have the same aim as I was saying about gender roles. Because of that, having the same common goal, our improv is always running in the same direction. That’s really nice because I feel very supportive and I hope he feels the same way too. Thomas is really funny. He comes up with a lot of funny stuff especially with the gender roles. He’s on top of his game.
Do we see you pregnant? Do you wear a prosthetic?
Kiersey Clemons: Yes. I have a little belly. It’s cute. I love it. I rub it all day. It makes me feel like I have the space to say, I want Oreos. For some reason it changes how you walk. I walk with a wobble because in my mind, I’m pregnant. That’s what pregnant people do right? Then I’m like, why am I doing this, I’m fine. My back doesn’t hurt.
“Lady and the Tramp” premieres on November 12, 2019, streaming only on Disney+.
Clip – Welcome to the Family
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