Top 10 Behind The Scenes Secrets About The Princess Diaries

The entire premise of this movie is based around the fact that Mia Thermopolis is about as un-ladylike as they come. One of the attributes that shows this off throughout the story is her clumsiness and lack of grace. In a memorable scene, Mia is walking on the bleachers and takes a tumble, which viewers would assume was scripted. But it turns out, it was actually a real accident! Heather Matarazzo, who plays Lilly Moscovitz, said in an interview with Hello Giggles that while they were filming Anne Hathaway fell and quickly recovered, and now we all know that this potential outtake was one of the things that made the movie what it was!

While we of course love Julie Andrews for playing Queen Clarisse Renaldi, she is perhaps best known for her iconic role as Mary Poppins. And it turns out, there’s actually a major connection between the two films. Despite the fact that “Mary Poppins” was filmed in the early 1960s, it was actually shot on the same sound stage as “The Princess Diaries.” Stage 2 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California is renowned in Hollywood and is one of the largest stages in Los Angeles. In 2001, during filming, the stage was actually dedicated to Julie Andrews because of the work she did there.

It may seem strange to compare the modern day fantasy that is “The Princess Diaries” to a movie about a prostitute, but did you know where are actually several links between “Pretty Woman” and this teen film? They were both directed by Garry Marshall and many cast members appeared in both films, including Hector Elizondo, Allan Kent, Kathleen Marshall, Larry Miller, and Patrick Richwood. They both feature memorable makeover scenes, and even more notably, the dinner scenes where both Mia and Vivian are forced to content with proper etiquette have a ton of similarities, including Allan Kent playing the waiter both times!

It may be hard to imagine anyone but Anne Hathaway playing Mia, but of course there were other actresses in consideration for the role. One of the most famous examples was Liv Tyler, who actually shares some striking physical similarities with Hathaway. Tyler probably wasn’t too upset she didn’t get the role, though, because she was pretty busy in the early aughts filming a little series you may have heard of called “The Lord of the Rings.” So, why did Hathaway get the role? More on that later, but one factor was that the director’s granddaughters thought she had the best “princess hair.”

One of the most charming subplots in “The Princess Diaries” involves the clandestine romance between Julie Andrews’ character and her limo driver/security specialist, Joe. It’s a subtle part of the story, but one that fans undeniably love, and it turns out that it was created by the actors themselves! Yup, that’s right, this romance wasn't in the book that inspired the movie or even in the screenplay. But Andrews and actor Hector Elizondo had great chemistry from the start and pushed the producers to shift their storyline to become a romantic one.

Whitney Houston is known for her stellar pipes and even for her acting, but did you know that she on occasion worked behind the camera as well? In fact, she was a producer on “The Princess Diaries,” as well as the sequel, “Royal Engagement.” It may seem crazy, but these aren’t even the only films marketed to teen girls that she worked on, because she also produced 2003’s “The Cheetah Girls.” And there are major perks to having Whitney Houston on your crew, because on Garry Marshall’s birthday she wheeled in a cake and sang him happy birthday!

Most fans of the movie are aware that “The Princess Diaries” is based on a book series by author Meg Cabot, and that the movie differs from its source material in many ways. As is often the case with book to movie adaptations, the author actually had very little input in terms of the writing or production of the film. While some writers are able to negotiate contracts where they have some creative control over the on-screen version of their story, Cabot only got to see it all play out when she attended the premiere.

“The Princess Diaries” was Anne Hathaway’s first film role, and considering it was a starring part in a high-profile Disney movie, that’s not too shabby. So how did she get the role? It turns out her audition had some unconventional moments that cinched her the part. While we’re sure something about Hathaway’s acting left an impression on director Garry Marshall, she remembers it differently, saying, “I got really nervous and fell out of my chair, and I think that’s what he was most impressed with.” What a happy accident!

We can all agree that one of the reasons this movie is so beloved is the epic makeover that takes place partway through. When we first meet Mia, she’s a dorky high schooler with unruly hair and bushy eyebrows who has to somehow be transformed into a princess. It turns out that at the time, the real Anne Hathaway looked a lot more like the “after” version of Mia, because she had to wear a huge wig and even false eyebrows to convincingly look the part of the “before” Mia.





Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



Michael Really Is in a Band





In “The Princess Diaries 2,” the Jewelry Was Real





Garry Marshall's Family Made Cameos





It Was Originally Called “The Princess of Tribeca”

In the “Princess Diaries” books, Mia’s father isn’t dead, and plays an important role in her story. So, why did they kill him off in the movie? It turns out, they wanted to give Julie Andrews a more significant role, so they let her take on many of his lines, therefore eliminating him completely. When Meg Cabot found out about the decision, she was unphased because she knew Andrews could carry things just fine. Oh, and the photo we see of Mia’s father? That’s actually a picture of Anne Hathaway’s real-life dad! And don’t worry, he’s very much alive.