Cailee Spaeny Recalls Auditioning For Sofia Coppola’s The Little Mermaid; Shares About Sending ‘This Weird Self-Tape’

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As a dedicated follower of Cailee Spaeny’s career, I must say that her journey to stardom is nothing short of inspiring. From nearly starring in Sofia Coppola’s The Little Mermaid to landing the lead role as Priscilla Presley in Coppola’s 2023 film, Spaeny’s perseverance and passion for her craft are evident.

In the initial stages, Cailee Spaeny was close to being cast as The Little Mermaid in Sofia Coppola’s adaptation, but ultimately secured the main role of Priscilla Presley in Coppola’s 2023 film, titled ‘Priscilla’.

In a recent conversation with Empire Magazine, I, Cailee Spaeny, opened up about my initial collaboration with the renowned Sofia Coppola, which surprisingly has yet to be publicly disclosed.

She shared with the media outlet that her first callback was from Sofia, and it was for ‘The Little Mermaid’ directed by Coppola. Unfortunately, the project didn’t get made. She submitted an unusual self-tape where she portrayed a mermaid without any dialogue.

Spaeny found the audition for “The Beguiled” in 2017, directed by Coppola, quite peculiar, reflecting his usual style. This wasn’t their first encounter; they had previously met during an audition. The film was a period drama and featured stars like Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell, and Elle Fanning.

In an interview, Spaeny shared, “Things didn’t go as planned; I was devastated because Sofia is the director whose work resonated deeply with me as a teenage girl, particularly growing up in the Bible Belt. Her work offered a sense of freedom and a perspective for young women that wasn’t commonly discussed where I come from.”

The actress from Alien: Romulus commented, “She treated young girls with respect, and it resonated deeply with me.” Despite facing obstacles, these experiences ultimately led to Spaeny securing the role of Priscilla Presley in the 2023 film Priscilla, with Jacob Elordi portraying Elvis Presley.

Spaeny disclosed that she got a call arranging a meeting with Coppola in New York. At their coffee get-together, Coppola took out her iPad to display pictures of Priscilla Presley during their conversation.

Spaeny pointed out that she thought Kristen Dunst was evaluating her during their time together. Despite not knowing exactly what Dunst said to Coppola, she understood that some message was exchanged. By the end of filming Civil War, it turned out that Spaeny had been chosen for the part of Priscilla.

After the intense shooting of Civil War, Dunst shared some tips with Spaeny about working with Coppola. In an interview with Empire, Spaeny said, “Priscilla will be completely different. It’s going to be so laid-back and fun, and you’re really going to enjoy it. Sofia will be playing music, and you might even end up being sad in the bathtub. And all those things turned out to be true!”

2014 saw Sofia Coppola working on a live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” with Universal Studios. Unlike the popular Disney version, this project drew inspiration from the original, darker fairy tale. However, due to its ambitious scope, particularly Coppola’s plan to shoot underwater scenes, the project proved too challenging and she acknowledged that it would have been a daunting task.

In 2015, Coppola stepped away from the project; however, Chloe Grace Moretz eventually took on the main character part. Regrettably, despite this, the movie was never produced.

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2024-08-19 06:08