‘Cruella’: Emma Thompson’s Baroness Could’ve Been Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Julianne Moore, or Demi Moore

When people think of Cruella de Vil, they might think of the Disney animated character. Also, the live-action version from the 1996 movie showed her wickedness and the art of costuming. 

Recently, Disney made a villain origin story for Cruella de Vil titled Cruella. However, the main antagonist of the film is Cruella’s mother, the Baroness. Multiple people wanted to land the role, but it went to Emma Thompson instead. 

The age differences between Emma Stone and her co-stars

In Cruella, Catherine adopts Cruella after her birth mother, the Baroness, orders someone to get rid of the baby. By the time Cruella reaches adulthood, Emma Stone portrays the infamous Disney villain. There is a small age difference between her and the actor who played Catherine. 

Stone is currently 32 as of today, but she will turn 33 in November. Emily Beecham starred as Catherine, and she had turned 37 in May of this year. The two of them are about five years apart. They could both be in their 30s since they do not appear on screen together. 

The age difference between Stone and Thompson is much bigger than five years. Thompson’s birth year is 1959, so she is 62 years old as of 2021. She and Stone are roughly 30 years apart from each other.  

The casting of the two actors makes sense since Cruella and the Baroness likely had a similar age gap. The stars should reflect that since they appear in scenes together. 

Other actors were on the radar for the role of the Baroness

Thompson was hoping to get the part, but there was a chance that she may not have played the Baroness. According to AceShowbiz, Julianne Moore was on Disney’s radar at the time. Some people may recognize the prolific star from the last two The Hunger Games films.  

Another contender was Demi Moore, who is not related to the other Moore. Disney could have gone with Nicole Kidman as well. Kidman was in Eyes Wide Shut and played the Queen in Aquaman. Charlize Theron also vied for the role of the Baroness in Cruella. 

In the end, the director added Thompson to the cast. Cruella’s mother, the wicked Baroness, is an over-the-top fashion designer. AceShowbiz also notes how Thompson received inspiration for her character. To make the Baroness stand out, she thought of Joan Collins. 

Specifically, Thompson recalled Collins’ role of Alexis Carrington Colby in the show Dynasty. Alexis constantly got into catfights with her nemesis. The Cruella star copied the soap opera’s narcissism. Thompson’s makeup designer also drew inspiration from Collins. 

The actors for Cruella de Vil were not British

While Thompson is British, Stone is not. Some people may consider it strange since Cruella is an English character. However, all the actors that portrayed her were not. One of the most iconic versions of the villainous character is the one from Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians. 

The first person to voice Cruella was American actor Betty Lou Gerson. In the animated sequel, another American, Susanne Blakeslee, played her. In live-action adaptations, Glenn Close starred as Cruella in 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. 

While many of the previous actors have been American, some of them came from other nationalities. For example, Victoria Smurfit from Once Upon a Time is Irish. Michelle Gomez from 101 Dalmatian Street is Scottish. 

Even the real-life inspiration for Cruella de Vil was not British. Tallulah Bankhead was an American stage and screen actor. In the hotel scene in Cruella, viewers can see her on a TV that shows her performance in Lifeboat.