Richard Madden on Prepping for 'Cinderella' Dance Scenes

Richard Madden on Prepping for 'Cinderella' Dance Scenes
About this video
From the Red Wedding to The Royal Ball, Richard Madden's luck is improving! The Scottish actor stops by the YH Studio to tell us all about his turn as Prince Charming in Disney's live-action 'Cinderella', including the grueling dance lessons and his first reaction when he saw the finished product! He also talks about recording commentary with his "Game of Thrones" mom Michelle Fairley, plus he reveals what other hit TV series he's currently binge-watching!
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So excited to have Richard Madden here. Thank you for coming in.
Thanks for having me.
I'm going to fan out a little bit. Blown away by this movie on so many levels. First of all, the acting.
Thanks very much.
Um, but this is done so well. It's just done so well. I think of all the Disney remakes, not to choose favorites, but this is my favorite. Yeah. It's beautifully done. It's beautifully done. And you just said it more beautifully than I said it. Um, your first reaction when you saw it?
I just like smiled the whole way.
So a guy does? It's not just a girl? Okay.
No, my friends made fun of me when I first got the part, and they continued to make fun of me.
Oh, I bet.
And then I got the Mercedes Berlin, and they watched the film, and they all had like puffy eyes from crying. Yeah. They did. So if you can make a man cry, this is this is a good This is a good thing.
So with the teasing you got, was it because of the dance and the ball or something?
Oh, it's because I'm playing I'm playing the prince, and they I think they don't really view me as that.
Really? How do they see you?
I wouldn't like to say. I don't know. They call me Prince Charming behind my back.
Do they really? Oh, that's so cute. Oh, I love it. I love it. But they're proud, and they cried.
Yeah, they're proud and they cried, and they smiled, and they loved it, and they're totally not the demographic. So I was pleased with that.
Okay, so if we're talking about guy's things versus girl's things, because obviously, everybody knows the story of Cinderella. She goes to the ball, she gets the I want to set it up for you. Instead of a pumpkin, what's your what's your chariot of choice? The ultimate guy night.
I don't know. I'd probably just be in like a really loud club with loads of music.
Nice. How are you getting there? What's the chariot?
An Aston Martin would be all right.
There you go. What what are you wearing? Not a blue gown, I'm assuming.
God no. Not a blue gown. Maybe something like this. Just all in black. Just Yeah.
Have people called you out on the one eyebrow? You voluntarily.
I I can't control it. Really? It's it's uncontrollable, yeah. I'm not aware of it.
Thanks. Now I've made you Now I've made you completely aware of it. I read that in the ballroom scene when she makes her entrance, there was actually a real moment for all of you guys.
For God, yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was such a huge set. Like we didn't CGI it. So you had this great set. And there's like 2,000 lit candles in the studio that day. And when Lily kind of appears at the top of the stairs in her Cinderella dress, you just like it dawned and took the breath away.
Yeah. You had to have exceptional strength, I read, for the dancing scene. Exceptional strength.
Yes. I wish I had exceptional strength. I just had to train a lot um because I'm not a very good dancer, really. I had to train a lot to kind of make sure I knew what I was doing, and I wouldn't like destroy Lily's dress. And did destroy two of them.
Did you? I was going to bring that up.
Before they let me wear the real one, and then the real one by then I'd kind of got it down.
I know. I know you've been acting for a long time, but I feel like it's been a kind of a whirlwind.
Yeah, totally. I think that Game of Thrones has thing for that, you know, I kind of I thought it would be like a little niche show, and it turned into something really big.
So you guys had no idea.
No. And that's really great because it means I get to kind of do things like Cinderella now that I would've never had a chance to.
I think I read that recent Did you have to record audio when you were sobbing?
There's only kind of lots male sobbing going on. Recording the audio over the Yeah. It was like we were doing it down the line, so it was me in London, and Michelle, who's my mother, was in L. A. , and we're all kind of got these ear pieces in, watching it and doing the audio commentary for a whole episode, and and Michelle, who's my mother, hadn't seen the episode yet.
Had she not watched it?
She had not watched it. So first time watching it was kind of with us, and then like she's getting upset, and I'm kind of getting upset by it because it's such a kind of trauma It was a big traumatic thing to do, but also it was the end of us kind of being a family. I got to see you like my on-screen mother more than my real mother. So like when it was the last day of that, it's like a big emotional thing. It's five years of my life, you know.
Do you still watch?
Of course I do. Yeah. But you kind of know something's in season five. You've spoiled something.
Yeah, I've not spoiled anything yet. And I only know one little thing. But you know. You have information.
I know, but I try and like I try and tell my friends I'm like, please don't tell me what's going to happen. And then we're having a beer, and they'll be like, oh right, in episode four when this I'm like, stop it, stop it, stop it.
Because he's cute.
Yeah, he's like it, isn't it? He's like it.
He's been in here, I know. He's a little bit He's a troublemaker.
He has indeed.
Um, actually, you also have Bastille. Uh Bastille is coming out, yeah? Idris Elba. Yes. Phenomenal actor.
Yeah. It's funny because we're quite an odd pairing, I think, as a couple of actors.
Odd couple? Um How so?
Well, I don't know, it's very different people. I think we're kind of chalk and cheese, but I think that's what makes it work. We really got on and actually kind of hopefully got some good comic elements out of what this kind of should be like a thriller, like an action film. I don't really know what it's going to be yet because I've not seen anything. But we had a great time shooting it. It's modern day. I get to wear jeans and T-shirt for a change, and uh it's kind of bombs and guns. It was roomie. It was nice. A nice change.
Yeah. A lot of actors that sit where you're sitting, they say to me, you know, if I say one show that they're obsessed with, they name, is there something that you binge-watch? Because they all say Game of Thrones. Is there something that you
I'm binge-watching American Horror Story at the moment. I love that show.
Yeah. You've caught up?
Yeah. I'm like halfway through season four, the freak show one. I've got like four episodes to go.
You could show up on that show.
I'd love to be on that show. It's great.
There you go. Put it out there. Anyway, thank you for coming in.
Thank you very much. This is a pleasure. Thank you.
Absolutely phenomenal movie.
Thanks.
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PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Richard Madden
The interviewee, discussing his roles and projects
- Lily James
His co-star as Cinderella
- Michelle Fairley
His on-screen mother in 'Game of Thrones'
- Idris Elba
His co-star in the film 'Bastille'
FAQ
What role does Richard Madden play in Disney's live-action 'Cinderella'?+
Did Richard Madden have to take dance lessons for 'Cinderella'?+
Who did Richard Madden record 'Game of Thrones' commentary with?+
What TV show is Richard Madden currently binge-watching?+
What is Richard Madden's next film project mentioned?+
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