Premiering December 4th on Disney+ is the new fairy-tale comedy entitled Godmothered. Directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones’s Diary), the film stars Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs a Marathon) as Eleanor, a Godmother-in-training whose profession is in danger of becoming obsolete. Determined to prove that Godmothers are needed, Eleanor sets out to help Mackenzie Walsh (Wedding Crashers’ Isla Fisher), a Boston news reporter whose childhood wish never came true. In addition to Bell and Fisher, the movie also stars Jane Curtin (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Santiago Cabrera (Star Trek: Picard), and Oscar-nominee June Squibb (Nebraska).
We Live Entertainment recently had the opportunity to participate in a virtual press conference for Godmothered with members of the cast including Jillian Bell, Isla Fisher, Jane Curtin, and Santiago Cabrera.
Jillian Bell began the press conference by discussing the basic plot of the film. “It is a story about a fairy godmother in training who I play named Eleanor,” the actress explained. “She goes down to earth to prove that fairy godmothers are still needed. She is looking for a little girl by the name of Mackenzie Walsh and comes to find out that the little girl is now grown up, and she’s played by the lovely Isla Fisher. Mackenzie, the character Isla plays, doesn’t really believe that she needs a fairy godmother, but maybe she does.”
“I think it also represents what the world is today in that it’s not 1860 anymore,” Jane Curtin added. “It’s not castles and all of this kind of stuff. It’s what you believe and it’s a goal that you can achieve on your own. If you want it, if you believe that you can get it, it’s something that is not reliant on magic. It’s reliant on you and your spirit, and I think that that’s really something that we all have to remember is that we are capable of such amazing things and such positive things for ourselves and for others. And that’s ‘Happily Ever After.’”
Isla Fisher, who has excelled at playing comedic roles in films like Wedding Crashers and Confessions of a Shopaholic, talked about instead playing straight-man to Jillian Bell in Godmothered. “What’s fun about this story is that we’ve got a lot of physical comedy, sight gags, and slapstick,” she said. “I’m kind of the straight-man in the story which is something I haven’t really had the opportunity to get to play.”
Fisher also talked about how she often feels on a set the first day of shooting a new movie. “It’s always really nerve-racking, but I can only speak for me,” she said. “I always feel like everyone’s going to realize that I’m miscast or that some of my choices that I sometimes show up with get thrown out the window. I think it’s like anything, it’s like being new at school. You just want to do a really good job and you try your best to do that. You also have a lot of new people to meet and a lot of names to forget.”
Actor Santiago Cabrera, who is best known for playing tough characters in series like Heroes and Star Trek: Picard, talked about transitioning into the role of a Disney prince. “It was appealing because you always want to change things up,” he explained. “I also like that it wasn’t your typical prince. It was like Prince Charming in quotes because he’s kind of the underdog. He definitely felt like Isla’s character was out of his league, and rightly so. I love that he was a serious journalist who wanted to report important stories but he’s on a sensationalist morning show and being abused by his boss. So, there was a lot of fun elements to it. You know, you always want to change things up. So, if it’s an opportunity to do something different then, you go for it.”
Director Sharon Maguire is certainly no stranger to romantic comedies after helming both Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Baby, and according to Jillian Bell, that’s exactly why she wanted to work with the filmmaker. “I was such a fan of Bridget Jones and I was so excited to get to work with her,” the actress explained. “One of the first things she did which I loved was getting Isla and me together alone in a hotel room. We got together and we just started improvising and playing around. That kind of set the tone for Isla and me to really just be playful with each other and go in knowing each other. I really appreciated that.”
“I had never worked with Sharon before,” added Curtin. “I had a lovely time working with her. She’s very exact and she does like to do many takes. She gets interesting things out of people. I thought it was fun working with Sharon. I enjoyed it.”
Bell also revealed that her lifelong dream has been to play a witch, and she discussed how Godmothered helps to fulfill that goal for her. “The script came along and I’d always been looking for some kind of a magical being to play because my goal in life was to play a witch,” she explained. “This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to it. She’s got magic and spells and is trying to make Isla’s character’s dreams come true. I think this was definitely a goal and to get to do it, and to act amongst all these people, I’m still blown away.”
Finally, Fisher was asked what she hopes audiences take away from the film. “For young girls watching, I want them to know that ‘Happy Ever After’ doesn’t necessarily include a castle, a prince, and a dress,” she said. “It can be blessings you have in your life with your family or work.”
Godmothered is now streaming exclusively on Disney+
