The two actors have reprised their roles from 1997’s ‘Cinderella’
Credit: Disney/Quantrell Colbert
NEED TO KNOW
- Paolo Montalban reprises his role as King Charming in the Descendants franchise alongside Brandy as Cinderella
- Montalban says reuniting with Brandy feels effortless, describing their connection as two old friends picking up instantly
- Brandy reflects on the lasting impact of being the first Black Cinderella and inspiring young girls to dream big
Paolo Montalban says reuniting with Brandy nearly 30 years after they first shared the screen felt effortless.
At the Los Angeles premiere of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, the 53-year-old actor tells PEOPLE that returning to the franchise as King Charming, the next iteration of Prince Charming, who he played alongside Brandy in the 1997 film Cinderella, came naturally.
He shares that “whenever I see Brandy, it’s like two old friends that don’t need to catch up.”
“We just lock in, and we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re here again. We’re doing it together again.’ There’s no one else that I trust this much to be able to jump into a project this quickly with, and Brandy’s that person,” he adds at the July 14 event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The ‘90s fairytale film starred Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander and Victor Garber in addition to Brandy and Montalban.
Brandy and Montalban reunited as their Cinderella characters in 2024’s Descendants: The Rise of Red and once again reprised their roles in the latest film, which began streaming on Disney+ July 17.
Credit: Walt Disney Television/courtesy Everett
Montalban loves that, in the films, “they always manage to keep me on-brand where I’m in some way, shape or form chasing after Cinderella.”
“I really love the fact that they’ve kept that steady and stable throughout the entire story,” Montalban shares.
As for the newest Descendants film, Montalban shares that he is “over the moon” with how it came out.
“I’m so proud of every single person who’s put their heart, soul and joy into it,” he tells PEOPLE.
In 2024, Brandy spoke with PEOPLE about stepping into her role as the first Black Cinderella, admitting she had no idea the impact it would have.
“It’s such an honor and such a blessing to be able to inspire people, to be able to have purpose that way, to be able to encourage young girls to dream big and to go after what you want,” Brandy shared.
“I didn’t know it at the time when I first played Cinderella, I didn’t really know the impact it was going to have,” she added. “But to know it now is, to look back, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ And then, to get an opportunity to play her again is just continued inspiration.”
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