It’s official! The iconic rags-to-royalty story of beloved teen, Mia Thermopolis has finally been greenlit for production by Disney, and what better way to celebrate than with a quick recap on the original Princess Diaries cast – who they played, and where they ended up.
Here are all your favourites from The Princess Diaries cast, then and now.
Anne Hathaway As Mia Thermopolis
We all know that Anne Hathaway went on to enjoy a hugely successful career post Princess Diaries, but many don’t realise that it was this role that earned the actress her breakout moment. Starring as the quirky, clumsy yet relatable Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, more commonly known as Mia, Hathaway was an instant hit, becoming synonymous with the franchise and catapulting the star into the pop culture hall of fame..
While most actors could only dream of being able to play such an iconic character, Hathaway followed up the Princess Diaries sequel with none other than The Devil Wears Prada in 2006.
The universally loved film starring Hathaway as Andy Sachs, also enjoys a well-deserved place in our comfort watch list, with commentary on the film continuing to spark debate on topics ranging from dangerous beauty standards to toxic relationships (here’s looking at you, Nate).
There are, of course, nearly too many Hathaway films to list as the multi-hyphenate actress/singer/dancer went on to win both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her role in 2012’s Les Misérables, among starring roles in One Day (2011), The Dark Night Rises (2012), Interstellar (2014), and The Intern (2015) – just to name a few.
Most recently, Hathaway has enjoyed huge success as Solène Marchand in the Harry Styles FanFic romcom The Idea Of You, and sent Millennials across the world into a royal frenzy with the announcement that she would be reprising her role as Mia for the much-anticipated Princess Diaries 3.
Heather Matarazzo as Lilly Moscovitz
Playing Mia’s ride-or-die best friend Lilly Moscovitz, Heather Matarazzo, has enjoyed a long, but low-key career in Hollywood since her well-known role as part of the Princess Diaries cast. But prior to finding mainstream success in the Princess Diaries franchise, Matarazzo’s breakout role was actually not too dissimilar to the Lilly we know and love.
Making her feature film debut as Dawn Weiner, the awkward seventh-grader struggling to belong in the coming-of-age indie film Welcome To The Dollhouse, Matarazzo was thrust into the spotlight upon the film’s 1995 release.
Since then, Matarazzo has appeared in shows like The L Word, Law & Order, Exes and Ohs and cult series Grey’s Anatomy, as well as a host of films such as Stuck, Studio 54, Sisters and most-recently – Scream VI.
While there’s no word on whether Matarazzo will reprise her role in Princess Diaries 3, surely there’s no Mia without Lilly’s chaotic, but steady hand close by?
Mandy Moore as Lana Thomas
While we loved to hate Mandy Moore’s character Lana Thomas in The Princess Diaries, Moore’s real life persona couldn’t be further from her on-screen character.
After finding her acting groove in the first instalment of Princess Diaries, Moore went on to star in the 2002’s gut-wrenching love story A Walk To Remember before returning to her villain era for the Christian teen dark comedy, Saved!, alongside Heather Matarazzo.
In 2010, Moore voiced the beloved character of Rapunzel in Disney’s animated film Tangled.
But it was her role in the NBC drama This Is Us from 2016-2022 that led to the actress’ Golden Globe and Emmy wins for her outstanding performance, cementing her character in the pop culture zeitgeist forever more.
Robert Schwartzman as Michael Moscovitz
Michael Moscovitz may have been Mia’s first love, but this Millennial dreamboat also managed to capture the affections of fans worldwide with his wispy bowl cut and brooding band-boy energy. So much so, that fans were left bereft when his character didn’t return for the sequel. But in a case of life imitating art, Robert Schwartzman may have been a bit busy touring the world with his indie band Rooney, to make time for a Genovian stop over.
Taking his place behind the camera, Schwartzman has also directed four films – Dreamland (2016), The Unicorn (2018), The Argument (2020) and Hung Up On A Dream (2023).
Fun Fact! Schwartzman is a cardholding member of the ‘nepo-verse’ as the son of actress Talia Shire and brother of Jason – best known for his many Wes Anderson films and Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola (also cousin to the Schwartzman brothers).
Erik Von Detten as Josh Bryant
Apart from playing Lana Thomas’ ex-boyfriend and Mia’s crush, Josh Bryant, actor Erik Von Detten is best known as the voice behind Toy Story villain Sid Phillips – in both the first and third films.
Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse Renaldi
The icon herself, of course, needs no introduction, but for those who might not be across the long and illustrious career of Dame Julie Andrews DBE, here’s a quick recap.
The Sound Of Music star counts two Emmys, three Grammys, six Golden Globes, an Academy Award, a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Centre Honour title as part of her illustrious career spanning eight decades.
After Princess Diaries, Andrews leant her voice to three out of four Shrek films and Despicable Me, before reappearing as Bridgerton narrator – Lady Whistledown.
Caroline Goodall as Helen Thermopolis
Since playing Mia’s artist mother in the first and second Princess Diaries films, actress Caroline Goodall has appeared in an array of films and television series including The White Queen, The White Princess, Bulletproof and Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021).
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
