Escapay versus Princess Aurora

[Escapay]

An imaginary interview with Princess Aurora, as we discuss A Rage to Love, her thoughts on acting, and how an unexpected pregnancy prevented her from doing Cabaret...

Hi, and welcome back to "Escapay versus..."! Rather than just an individual one-on-one session with my guest, we're doing this interview live in front of a studio audience. And tonight, I've got a very special guest. She's everyone's favorite sleepy-time heroine, full-time mama, and adjunct-college-professor...it's Princess Aurora!

Hi, everybody!

(cheers from the audience.)

Why don't you tell the audience a little about yourself?

You make it sound like I'm on a dating game.

(both laugh)

Sorry, I didn't mean to. Let's start with your family. Who's with you tonight in the audience?

I've got my beautiful husband Phillip, I've known him since I was sixteen. And they're not here, but my parents are watching with the kids at home. My aunts Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are here, along with my godmother Maleficent.

(gasps from the audience.)

That certainly surprised some viewers. Explain how Maleficent is your godmother.

There's not much to explain. Mom picked her, they were roommates in college and remained close friends ever since. But she and Dad didn't get along too well. That's why she was rather annoyed when Dad didn't send her an invitation. He assumed she knew she was invited and wouldn't need an invitation since she's the godmother and was expected to already be there. But she wanted it for her scrapbook. When it didn't get sent, she got really upset. She thought he was subtly telling her not to come. The movie changed this story, though.

It is quite different from the story many children grew up with.

It's just part of the Grimmization, and later the Hollywoodization. I'm not the fairy tale Aurora, I'm a real-life Aurora. I didn't live in a forest all my life, just during the summers. And Aunt Mally would come to the castle every weekend to give me singing lessons. I didn't need to learn how to sing, thanks to Aunt Fauna, but Aunt Mally would help me pick songs for concerts and such.

The movie made it seem like she wanted you dead.

(both laugh)

That's so far from the truth. She would often say "You're dead! I'm going to kill you!" when we were playing Super Smash Bros. But she never wanted me dead.

And the whole "sleeping" part?

Well, whenever I was fussy, only Aunt Mally could get me to take a nap.

From the look of our audience, most seem surprised at how different the movie is from your real life.

It's all for dramatic effect, you know. And when I met with Mr. Walt to talk about this, he admitted there were some liberties, he wanted to tell a good story after all.

And really, who'd want to watch a 75 minute movie of me learning how to sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and Phillip sending his friend Swip as a messenger to ask me to the prom because he was too nervous to ask me himself? I like the movie version. Made my life seem quite exciting!

It is quite exciting.

Every movie studio does it. But those of us that know the true story just laugh on our way to the bank. It's nothing we ever get worked up about. Well, sometimes.

Sometimes?

My second cousin Francois, for example...totally not the walking ignorant steroid he plays in Beauty and the Beast.

Oh yes, Francois played Gaston.

Not many people know this, but he graduated from Christ Church in Oxford, majoring in Philosophy and Theology. Acting was just a hobby for him, he didn't expect it to become a career. He initially did it to help pay off his student loans. When he accepted the role of Gaston, the part was originally a cultured aristocrat who wanted Belle as a wife because of her place in society. Then they changed it and he became the town jock. He did it anyway, it was a good challenge for him. But he was never really happy with how audiences always would just see him as that role.

Does he regret doing it?

Somewhat. But it helped put him out there, although he got relegated to playing bouncers or bodyguards for awhile, that's all anyone ever thought he could do. Around '96 or so, he went to theatre, promising never to return to Hollywood. Last I heard from him, he co-directed the recent revival of "All My Sons" for West End.

So what about you? How has the movie depiction of you affected your career?

I didn't work for awhile after the movie came out. Partly because I wanted to go back to school, and also because I knew if I jumped into different roles immediately, it would lessen the impact I had in that role. If that makes any sense.

Could you elaborate?

Well, there are some actors you see and identify for certain roles. They've got this chameleon quality where they slip in and out of roles and you don't see them as actors, you seem them as the characters they play. Then there are some who are so identifiable as an actor, that it's harder to separate actor from character in the audience's mind.

If I went and did a complete 180 in my first role after Sleeping Beauty, then the audience wouuld only recognize me as an actor, not as the character I play. They'd say "Oh look, Aurora's branching out and trying to be someone else." I needed that gap between roles so that the audience would recognize me as a character first. Then when I finally did take on that other role, they could really see me as someone else.

Of course, sometimes it goes the wrong way and they just only see me as that character. But it's a chance I was willing to take. And it worked. My first role after Sleeping Beauty made most people see me as that character, not as an actor playing a character.

Remind the audience again, what was your first role after Sleeping Beauty?

I did this little independent movie called A Rage to Love, this was about two years after Sleeping Beauty. I played a housewife who found her husband was cheating on her, and she conspired on how to get even without letting on that she knew. A very manipulative woman, there was more than one side of her story. It was a great role, and I got to work opposite Richard Crenna, who played my husband. The age difference was apparent, he was about fifteen years older than me, but it really worked with the story.

How did your fans react to this performance?

Most of them loved it. They could see my range as an actor was more than just singing in a forest and crying by a mirror. A few weren't too keen, they expected me to always play a prim and proper princess. But for the most part, I got what I wanted, I was recognized for my parts, and not for my name.

After A Rage to Love, you went into television.

Yes. I actually had a small role in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" where I was one of the extras in "The After Hours" with Ann Francis. After that, I'd have bit parts on other anthology shows. For awhile I even was a day player on the P&G soaps. My favorite was when I was an under-5 on "The Edge of Night" for a couple years. In the 70s, I was offered the part of Hope Bauer on "Guiding Light" but turned it down.

Why did you go to television, and such small roles, instead of back to film?

Television was quick and easy, just something to help me de-stress every so often. My focus was always on my education, too. I was working on my PhD in Particle Physics and sometimes, just going to a studio to walk in the background or deliver a line like "Here's the tests, Dr. Matthews" helped clear my mind and concentrate better.

What got you interested in Particle Physics?

It stemmed from my desire to learn more about magic. How it's done, the science behind it. Of course, I later learned that magic is a completely difference "science" from science, but I was already hooked. I had grown to love all the sciences and eventually my articles on the relationship between early bosonic strings and the magic of nature were published in "Science" and "Physical Review Letters."

How did Flora feel when you tried to tie the magic of nature to early bosonic strings?

She never liked the idea of mixing the two. She would misquote Kipling and tell me "science is science and magic is magic and never the twain shall meet." I was determined to find a link, and eventually she let me to use her wand in some experiments. But it was mostly theoretical research and assessment, and I ended up not using her wand that often.

She must have liked that.

She did!

What did you do once you got your PhD?

I've been an adjunct professor for Columbia University, while still keeping my hand in the entertainment business. It's quite a strange schedule sometimes. One day I'll be lecturing students on global Poincaré symmetry or string theory, and then the next day I'm playing a prosecuting attorney on "Law & Order: SVU." And all the while, I'm raising a family and trying to manage the affairs of the kingdom.

Is it hard juggling all that?

It is, but I know I can do it. I make time for it, I prioritize. Sometimes there are sacrifices.

Like what?

I had never done a Broadway musical, and an opportunity arose where I was offered Sally Bowles in a revival of "Cabaret." I practiced "Don't Tell Mama" for weeks and did a few rehearsals. But then I found I was pregnant with L'Aurore and Le Jour, and I had to drop out. I wouldn't mind doing "Cabaret" if they ever offered it to me again. But at the end of the day, I'd rather have my twins than another notch on my resume.

What about Disney? Do you think you'll ever work there again?

I hope so. We did this direct-to-video thing a few years back. I didn't care much for it, but as a mother, I wanted something my children could watch that wasn't just my movie or A Rage to Love, especially since the latter is too serious for them. The whole thing went balls up, if you'll pardon my language.

Don't worry. You can say balls.

Balls, balls, balls, balls, balls!

(both laugh)

When I first got the script, it was fine. It featured me on my own, having to be responsible for the whole kingdom. It was all about learning to prioritize and know when magic can and should be used.

Then in post-production, they completely chopped it up. In the process, they turned my character into a bubblehead who used magic irresponsibly. I was taught better than that, and I hated that they turned my "fiction" self into someone who was too blonde to fuction.

It's one of the few professional decisions I regret, and I made sure to tell them that.

I didn't see you included in the Sleeping Beauty: Platinum Edition. What happened there?

It was just a scheduling problem. The only available time they could schedule an interview was the middle of finals week at Columbia and I could not abandon my students to chat with someone in front of a camera. My students came first. But they did interview Mary Costa, my stand-in on the movie. She was with me the whole time throughout production, so anything I would have remembered, she would too.

You did have a chance to attend the El Capitan release, though.

Yes. The entire family went to see the movie there, in its Technirama glory. Opportunities like that come once in a lifetime, and I wanted them to experience the movie the way I did in '59.

While we're on the subject of your family, how are the kids? Last I saw them, they were only in pre-school.

L'Aurore and Le Jour are eighteen now, can you believe it?

Eighteen?!

Time certainly flies. L'Aurore has been courted by several young princes already, although she'll probably stay with her childhood sweetheart, Giovanni. His family has a winery in Italy, and in the past few years she's spent more summers there than she does at home.

What about Le Jour? What's he up to?

Le Jour will most likely take over the kingdom when Phillip and I retire. In the meantime, he's moving into a loft apartment in Manhattan with his boyfriend Anton. Both are going to Marymount Manhattan, Le Jour's studying Literature and Biology. And L'Aurore will be studying abroad, Aunt Mally's going to let her stay at Forbidden Mountain until she finds her own place.

Are you going to miss them?

Le Jour is going to still be in the city, but I don't know how Phillip will handle L'Aurore being in Europe. She's Daddy's little girl. Still, there was always that tiny part in Phillip and me that was looking forward to getting them out of the castle so we could have some more "Peasant & Prince" time. Then lo and behold, I give birth to little Marvin.

(she pulls out a picture of a six-month-old baby.)

He's an angel.

He was our little "souvenir" from an interstellar cruise Phillip and I took on the Heart of Gold. We named him after the ship's cruise director. A rather crotchety old robot who always complained about how nobody understood the true depths of his intelligence. He was a hoot and a half.

Tell me, when you're not teaching string theory, acting in a role, raising a family, or managing a kingdom, what do you do in your own spare time? What happens during "Aurora time"?

I'm in a bowling league with Phillip, Cindy, and Char. We actually started our team again after Cindy and Char got back together. They've been having some issues, something about twists in time or whatever, I don't really know the whole story. But putting the team back together is their way of returning to normalcy.

I'll have to ask them about that when I interview them.

I don't know if Cindy would consent to the interview. She's a very private person. But Char might.

Thanks.

No problem.

So, anything else besides bowling?

I absolutely love reading Sidney Sheldon novels. The Other Side of Midnight and If Tomorrow Comes are two of my favorites.

I also play paintball once a month. I'm usually team Blue, though Aunt Flora wishes I'd be team Pink once in awhile.

Do you think you'll ever go back to movies?

Probably not. There are so many other things I could do, and I'm out there doing them. Maybe if the right part came along.

Like the Maleficent movie that's in the works?

They're making a movie about Aunt Mally? Interesting.

Maybe you can have a cameo.

That'd be quite a sight to see. But I like where I am right now.

As much as I'd love to continue this interview, we're running out of time.

Aw, that's a shame.

Before we go, I've got some questions that I always ask when I do interviews.

Awesome. Ask away!

What's your favorite type of pie?

Wild Strawberry. I was raised on it and Aunt Merryweather's recipe is the only good one I've had.

Have you ever seen a squirrel dance?

I've danced with squirrels before.

Would you ever float around on a cloud and drop water balloons on people?

Only if I've had a bit too much wine. It's the frisky nature girl in me.

Boxers or Briefs? Er...maybe you don't need to answer that one.

Sometimes when Phillip and I role-play I wear the boxers and he wears the...tee-hee, never mind!

Who's your favorite Mouseketeer?

Phillip is my favorite everything. I'll put some mouse ears on him and call him my favorite Mouseketeer.

Do you believe in Ghosts?

I've never met any personally, but I'll give their existence the benefit of the doubt.

Favorite song to sing in the shower?

"Long Ago and Far Away"

Slipcovers: Yay or Nay?

Nay. What's the point?

Who invented post-its?

Someone who figured out how not to make a long-lasting glue.

Finally, one more question. In ten words or less...what do you think of the company today?

Balls.

(both laugh)

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview, Princess Aurora!

Any time, hon.

And that's all the time we have today, folks. Tune in next time when I interview Tramp!



The "Escapay versus..." Series:
Escapay versus Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Escapay versus Walt Disney in the Great Beyond
Escapay versus Mickey Mouse
Escapay versus The Lace Collar
Escapay versus The Horned King
Escapay versus Princess Aurora
Escapay Versus Tramp - coming soon
Escapay Versus Walt Disney in the Great Beyond, Part Two! - coming soon

Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. I don't know if Princess Aurora has a PhD in Particle Physics, whether her son swings for the other team, or if she would ever say a phrase like "balls up." There is no such movie as A Rage to Love, and Marvin the Paranoid Android would never stoop so low as to become a cruise director. Everything that "Princess Aurora" says is a fictional depiction of her.

albert

[Jay]

Haha this is great! I liked the whole Maleficent being the godmother bit haha. Great job

[Super Aurora]

I notice that in all your interviews, you give the character the nay to slipcovers as if they are actually you.

[pap64]

I notice that in all your interviews, you give the character the nay to slipcovers as if they are actually you.

Self insert fan fiction???

[Escapay]

I notice that in all your interviews, you give the character the nay to slipcovers as if they are actually you.

Only The Horned King and Aurora have voted "nay" so far. Mickey Mouse and Lace Collar are "yay" votes, while Walt Disney just says there are no slipcovers in the Great Beyond, so technically he didn't vote yay or nay.

Self insert fan fiction???

The entire thing is meta-fiction since it's myself interviewing them.

Maybe I should get fictional James Lipton to interview them.

albert

[Disney Duster]

I loved most Cindy and Chars "twists in time" issues (holy crap I just realized, fire chars things to cinders!), and pretty much the entire last questions! "I've danced with squirrels before"! Haha! Oh, but my most favorite part of all, drumroll please... "Phillip is my favorite everything. I'll put some mouse ears on him and call him my favorite Mouseketeer."

I don't get the baby, Marvin? He was named after the robot? Well!

[Atlantica]

Possibly my favourite one so far ! ! Excellent work !

Your mind really is amazing .....