Chosen Jacobs Interview: Sneakerella
Disney is having fun remaking Cinderella once more, only this time it's doing a little more than turning it into live action. Sneakerella, which premieres on Disney+ on May 13,is a modern-day adaptation of the classic princess story that not only contains its own new songs but also gender-swaps its lead character. That's right, Ella is now El, played by the It franchise's own Chosen Jacobs.
In an interesting connection to a very different Cinderella that came out last year, El also has a passion for fashion. Except that his love is for sneakers instead of dresses or glass slippers, and it's an interest that provides the film with a colorful world of imagination and design. It also puts him in the path of his very own Princess Charming, Kira King (Lexi Underwood, Little Fires Everywhere), whose father owns one of the hippest shoe brands around.
Related: Disney’s Modern Princess Standards Don’t Give Cinderella Enough Respect
Jacobs spoke to Screen Rant about about what he thinks makes the perfect Cinderella regardless of gender, how El's stepfamily evolves in Sneakerella, and what his own shoes say about him.
Screen Rant: It's so much fun to see a gender swapped Cinderella, which I cannot believe that we haven't had more of. For you, what is it about El that makes him the perfect Cinderella?
Chosen Jacobs: Honestly, I feel like the heart of Cinderella is this character who has dreams but doesn't necessarily have the environment that cultivates [them]. He goes on a journey of just learning to love himself and believe in himself; embracing his community and finding the beauty within that.
I feel like that's really the heart of Cinderella. It's not just a love story between a prince and a princess, but the love story of
Read more on screenrant.com
