We kicked off the conversation with Yvette Nicole Brown (who plays “Aunt Sarah) and Kiersey Clemons (who plays “Darling”), sharing their love of dogs. Yvette shared that this is her biggest acting job because she loves dogs so much, but of course, she has to be so hateful. They also were real about how tight and uncomfortable to corsets they had to wear really were. 😆
These two ladies were so much fun and easy to talk to. They claimed they were just “winging it” when it came to playing the characters for their respective roles. But we saw them in action on set. They are the real deal. I seriously can’t wait to watch it when it launches on Disney Plus next week. If you missed my post about this exciting secret trip, check it out here.
Yvette Nicole Brown On Improvising and Sisterhood
Yvette shared that it’s so much easier when you have fun actors to play off of. She shared how she appreciated how open Director Charlie was. He encouraged them to just be in the moment and to feel what they felt. So sometimes they just slip some funny things in that actually make it into the scene.
I loved seeing the interaction between the two of them when watching on set. You could tell there was more than just a professional relationship. And sure enough,
Kiersey chimed in to share how quickly they bonded the first time they met. She agreed that Yvette could actually be part of her family and that they both liked to shop…like a lot lol
How Kiersey got involved in Lady and the Tramp
Apparently, for Kiersey, it all started with playing arcade games. She got called into a meeting with Producer Brigham Taylor on a day that she was not in the mood to be in any meetings. Well, it turns out, when she got there, he had arcade games so they played those. It forced her out of the grumpy mood she was in.
Two months later, she got a call letting her know that he wanted her for the role! The exciting part? She didn’t even know the role was for Lady and the Tramp! And she thought the arcade game playing was just for a general meeting. Can you imagine that? I would’ve freaked out, in a good way of course.
Yvette chimed in that most times you go to these general meetings get all dolled up, only to never hear back from them again. Nothing happens. Well, this surely wasn’t the case this time around!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 22: Tessa Thompson and Rose attend as Cinema Society hosts a special screening of Disney+’s “Lady And The Tramp” at iPic Theater on October 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Disney+)
Yvette shares why she almost said no to Lady and the Tramp
For Yvette, the experience was a little different. She got the call for the audition. But when she read the breakdown of the character that hated dogs, she immediately said she couldn’t do it. She said she knows her limits as an actor, and she couldn’t pretend to hate dogs. It also was bad timing with it being filmed in Savannah because at the time she was caring for her dad in LA.
We all need people who will push and support us with big decisions. And that person for Yvette was her mom. She said, “It’s Lady and the Tramp. It’s Disney. You’ll get to be on set with dogs. You are going to the audition!” And the rest is history.
She shared that this was one of the best decisions she ever had.
And the cherry on top was receiving a letting from Charlie, inviting her to be a part of the film. Fun fact, she ended up adopting one of Lady’s stunt doubles, little Harley Brown. Kiersey Clemons & Yvette Nicole Brown
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 22: Yvette Nicole Brown attends as Cinema Society hosts a special screening of Disney+’s “Lady And The Tramp” at iPic Theater on October 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Disney+)
On Aunt Sarah & excitement for the film
If you love Aunt Sarah, then you’ll love the fact that you’ll see a bit more of her in this version of the film. Yvette laughed as she shared how much of a hot mess she is. “She loves her niece, she’s okay with Jim Dear, and she does not like Lady, so that’s the hierarchy of how she feels about people.”
YOUTUBE SCENE AUNT SARAH
Yvette shared that being a kid from East Cleveland, she was still pinching herself at that moment. Doing a Disney film is beyond what she ever dreamed of. So she never wants to be the weak link. She looks forward to bringing joy and laughter to the set.
She also gave some shine to Kiersey because she meets a lot of young actors that don’t smile or speak. And Kiersey is everything but that because she walks in gratitude for the blessing they have been given. “It just makes for a better day to be in a good mood,” Kiersey chimed in.
About the diversity in Lady and the Tramp
One thing that I loved when observing the actors on set was the diversity. As someone who grew up being in the minority, these things make a difference. So it’s no surprise that it struck Yvette when she first went to set and saw all of the background actors.
She shared, ”There’s no big spotlight shined: oh this is a black person; this is an Asian person. We all are just living together which is what it’s supposed to be, right? It’s what we need in this world right now.”
On God + Success
“The Lord. I can’t do anything without God. I literally decided when I entered this industry, the moment I had to set God down to go forward, I won’t go forward. So that meant if it was a role that I had to put something aside to do it, I wouldn’t do it. If I had to stab someone in the back or step on somebody’s neck to get ahead, I wasn’t gonna go ahead. I need to, at the end of the day, be on the right side of history- number one, and I need to be able to sleep at night. And when you do dirty things, you can’t sleep well. And I like to sleep well. So I have to keep my conscious good to be able to do that.”
Well said, Yvette, well said! And Kiersey nodded in agreement.I love that her mom instilled in her the notion that either “everybody is special or no one is.” That’s a life lesson in and of itself.
They ended the interview by sharing their excitement for us being there.
Extended Lady and the Tramp Trailer
I love this trailer because you get to see a little more of both of their roles. You also get to see how beautifully this film came together.
Watch on Disney+ November 12th
Follow Disney+ on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or visit DisneyPlus.com to learn more.
This trip to Savannah, GA to cover the #DisneyPlus launch of #LadyAndTheTramp was sponsored by Disney. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
No Comments