Disney Channel just got a little Freaky…
The freakiness had a strong presence on the hot pink carpet at The Beacon Theatre this Monday in NYC. The entire cast of the upcoming movie, Freaky Friday, came to share their excitement about the upcoming musical adaptation.
The pink carpet was bustling with energy as many Disney actors who were not in the movie, had come to support their fellow co-stars! We spoke with stars Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Jason Maybaum, Isaiah Lehtinen and Dara Renee, who shared their thoughts on the new musical adaptation with us.
We asked Isaiah, (plays Karl in the movie) who he thinks the perfect audience for this movie is?
“If you like any of the other versions, including the 2003 one, you will love this movie, If you are a fan of High School Musical, Zombies and All that Jazz. Most of all, if you love Disney Channel, you’ll probably love this too.”
Similarly, Isaiah’s co-star, Dara Renee, (who claims she would love to have a Freaky Friday moment with his character if given the chance), elaborates by explaining “if you are a Broadway fanatic, you’ll love it, if you really want to feel connected to a mother and daughter’s relationship, you will also love it. The musical movie is for everyone, it is just for the whole gang!”
We also spoke with “Mean girl” Dara who plays the role of Savannah. She describes her character as being “ambitious and powerful” as she poured coffee on people and pushed them out the way in various instances throughout the movie. (We know we wouldn’t want to cross a girl like her in High School). Dara’s goofy personality was a huge contradiction to the convincing mean girl she played on screen. She was “bursting with bubbles” as she was taking it all in on the pink carpet.
Ellie’s brother played by Jason Maybaum, only 11 years old talks to us about how his character “loves to do magic, even though he is bad at it, as well as annoying his sister.” Two vital traits in any younger brother. He confidently says there weren’t really any big challenges, besides the singing and dancing where he took some help from Broadway connoisseur, Heidi Blickenstaff. Despite his character being Ellie’s main instigator, Jason would love to have his Freaky Friday moment with Ellie (played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff) to get insight into what it is like to be a teenager. Whereas, Cozi’s Freaky Friday moment would be with Tea Leoni from Madam Secretary, as she acts as a “role model” to Cozi and looks up to her “talented performance in the show.”
“This movie is centered around the idea of a mother and daughter falling in love with each other” as Zuehlsdorff states. The franchise has done a magical job in maintaining the integrity of that relationship and creating something so raw and real that almost everyone is able to relate to. Cozi describes someone who would love seeing them self in a movie, would love this movie. The relatableness and the depth of each character is what allows for that universality that the audience is able to get in touch with.
The 2018 adaptation brings something fresh and unique to the classic story of “walking in someone else’s shoes.” The fact that it is a story of a relationship between mother and daughter, it is also an emotional experience for the audience.
Be sure to tune this heartwarming, fun, thoughtful musical will be airing on Disney Channel, August 10th at 8/7 Central