Chris Pin adds yet another Disney royal role to her resume. The 43-year-old actor played Nicholas Devereaux in the 2004 film. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Cinderella’s Prince in the 2014 musical fantasy film In the woods. He now faces an evil king in the upcoming animated film. Wish.
“I was a prince in a Disney movie, and now I’m playing an evil king. It’s a nice balance,” Pine jokes to ET’s Denny Directo.
Pine plays Magnifico, the leader of the kingdom of Rosas, who possesses mystical powers that make him the guardian of his subjects’ deepest desires – which he exercises for selfish ends. This brings him into conflict with Asha, played by Ariana Debosea teenage girl who wishes for a star to try to save her kingdom from impending darkness.
The film also stars Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Della Saba and Jon Rudnitsky.
Pine says that talking about the morally questionable king was “the most fun” he’s had in a while, recalling how he was capable of being “a complete fool and throwing everything at the wall to see if it sticks, you know?”
“I had so much fun doing it, and the directors let me play ball,” he shares. “What I like is that you want to love and hate the bad guys. You want to be nice and charming and all that, and then explode and show many sides.”
Although he tells ET that he didn’t really take inspiration from classic Disney villains, Pine is excited about the layered perspective his Magnifico will bring to the villainous Rolodex. While one line in the film warns that people should “never trust a pretty face,” Pine thinks perhaps the real warning should be to “never trust empty charm.”
While Magnifico may be cut from a different cloth than most villains, he draws inspiration from classic Disney villains in a vital way – with a great solo song.
While it’s no surprise that Pine largely competes against Academy Award winner DeBose, he showed off his musical talents in In the woodsafter all, the actor admitted he was a little intimidated by the idea of starring opposite the musical’s star.
“It’s just not something I do on a daily basis,” Pine says shyly. “When you sing opposite Ariana… it’s a big deal.”
When ET spoke with DeBose, the actress had nothing but good things to say about her singing partner.
“He can sing! He absolutely can sing,” she said when she realized her co-star was doubting her abilities. “When I found out I was cast in this movie, I was like, ‘Oh!’ I mean, you saw it in In the woods? … I think Chris is one of those examples of not understanding how talented he is. »
DeBose said fans will be surprised when they hear Pine’s work in Wishsaying, “I love the sound of his voice, the way he shapes words. He’s a delicious villain. You know people are going to love to hate him, and I love watching him work.”
As for her role as Asha, DeBose says she is forever grateful for the opportunity. “It’s heartwarming and almost overwhelming. You know, I’ve seen so many young, beautiful brown girls already dressed up (as Asha) – and just beautiful young people. They’re not all brown.”
“I was like, ‘That’s really cool too.’ Everyone seems inspired by this girl, her heart and her wish,” she adds. “And I think what’s so beautiful is that people of all ages are singing this song called ‘This Wish’ which literally means ‘I make this wish to have something more for us.’ This wish is not for her, it’s for everyone, and I was like, this is special. And in the age of social media, where it’s a little selfish, this speaks to people. C It’s epic for me.”
Wish is in theaters November 22.