The Ugly Stepsister
The iconic fairy tale ofCinderellais getting a wild twist with the Sundance hit , The Ugly Stepsister . The movie hail from Norwegian author / director Emilie Blichfeldt in her feature directorial debut , proceed her course from her short movie of tackling the theme of what beauty have in mind to a modern society , and how it impacts femininity . Blichfeldt spent nigh 10 years working to bring the moving picture to life , five of which were specifically focalise on developing the script for the project after initially coming up with the concept .
The Ugly Stepsisterbrings theCinderellastory closer to theBrothers Grimm interpretationof the classic tarradiddle , lay its focus on Elvira , the older girl of Rebekka , and for the most part referred to as the titulary insult , specially in equivalence to her beautiful half sister , Agnes , also know as Cinderella . When their family patriarch dies , and the family find itself in financial trouble , the only solvent is to try and have Elvira , played by Lea Myren , marry a flush local prince , though she must undergo a disturbing transformation involving 19th C plastic operating room and cestode to try and become beautiful enough to win his affections .
Sundance offer up huge picture show premieres and under - the - radar gems . Here ’s our anticipation for the film that could breakout and overshadow 2025 .
In award of the movie ’s Sundance Film Festival premiere , ScreenRantinterviewed writer / director Emilie Blichfeldt and star Lea Myren to discussThe Ugly Stepsister . The filmmaker meditate on her journey to bring her take onCinderellato the screen , including her initial concern over having too much " hubris " with her vision and regain collaborators who trusted her with the film . The star , meanwhile , praised Blichfeldt for her deeply thematic story and the obligation she felt in playing the character , as well as the physicality that was required of it .
Blichfeldt Didn’t Want To Move Forward Until She Found The Right Angle On The Story
“…it’s a great concept, but where’s the story?”
With a picture that explores everything from a fair sex willing to physically modify herself in dangerous ways to a Cinderella whose virtues may not be as clear as the Disney interpretation of her , The Ugly Stepsistercertainly prove to be one of the most originaltakes on the characters involved in the film . When it fall to developing the fib for the picture , Blichfeldt acknowledges that she was quite taken by the concept she amount up with " in a creative nap " , though spent eight age pose it together so as to find a meaningful approaching to it :
Emilie Blichfeldt : My master characters in my shorts have been mainly women struggle with body issuing and torso icon . And in a creative Napoleon , work on one of those films , I suddenly had this vision where my character dream that she was Cinderella and accommodate the brake shoe and was very happy because the prince was her ambition male child or whatever . But then , to her revulsion and despair , she agnize that she had cut off her toes to fit the shoe , because there was descent coming out of the shoe , a little bit by and by on the horse on the manner to the castle .
She was looking at it and going , " Oh s – t. " And the prince also saw it , of trend , and rejected her because of it . And when I woke up from that pile , I was like , " Oh my God , this is a character that I have not seen before . " The manner that I ’ve read and the style I ’ve seen the fairy tale in so many versions on screen , but I ’ve never seen this character . She ’s overlook , she ’s ridiculed , mocked for her wanting to accommodate the shoe and her monstrous effort to do so . But I altogether relate to her . Not only do I have skid size 11 , but I ’ve struggled with dead body epitome myself in my youthfulness , and contend to meet within femininity , and I was single for a very long fourth dimension , because I did n’t feel like I was womanly enough or beautiful enough to attract the guys that I was concerned in . And I felt very lonely .
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore
We all foresightful to be loved , and I saw all of this in this persona . On top of that , there was the potency of a soundbox revulsion movie , which got me so mad , because I had get into torso repulsion just a few years prior to the estimate coming to me . And it just felt like something that could have commercial potential , external potential , but with my DNA , my story , my lookout on it , and then with organic structure revulsion . I just felt that this is something I have to take seriously , and I did . It took me eight year — five years to realize the playscript , because it ’s a corking concept , but where ’s the story ? What ’s the real gritrock ? What ’s the real character here ? And not just the stepsister , but all of them . And now we ’re here at Sundance , and it ’s a dream come true .
In further reverberate on the journey to making the picture , Blichfeldt acknowledge her concern that no one would let her makeThe Ugly Stepsisteras her first feature - length task , as well as her own insecurities of whether she had too much hubris and " tried to do too much " . She continue specify , however , by knead in positions akin to helper for her costume designer and Special Makeup & Prosthetics Makeup Effects Artist , Thomas Foldberg , and expressed her touch sensation that this dedication is what inspired others to work on with her on it :
Emilie Blichfeldt : Yeah , give thanks you for that head . I sleep together when I was writing and developing this script , I was like , " Who ’s going to let me do this as my first feature ? " Because the level of ambition is just through the ceiling , but also paralleled with writing the hand . I also started doing a lot of research in costumes , which I fuck , within reference for the body horror , both in film history , but also in doing research in real cosmetics procedures from our history and time .
The Ugly Stepsister offers a comedic horror twist on the classic fairy tale, centering on Cinderella’s stepsister, Elvira. Set in a kingdom obsessed with beauty, Elvira competes with her glamorous sibling, resorting to drastic measures to win the prince’s affection.
So , I was quite well - prepare , and I had a manufacturer , Maria Ekerhovd , who think in me from very too soon on , and she ’s a threatening striker in Norway . She ’s a grownup spate , so her believe in me , and also understand this is not a movie that we do on a small shell budget , this is a big matter , but she believe I could do it . And we get some of the best talent in Scandinavia on board . As a first - time filmmaker , I love the collaborative part of moviemaking , and I bonk being able to learn and express myself through costumes or through practical gist . So , I was reckon of myself a bit as an intern . I went with my costume designer , Manon Rasmussen , who did all of Lars von Trier ’s movies . She ’s 72 , she ’s an image , she ’s amazing .
I become with her to London to pull costumes at the Cosprop as her assistant , almost , but also just to empathise what was the physical boundary of her work . What are the practical thing she has to make out with ? When I say , " I do n’t like this , " what implications does that have ? What does she have to choose from ? And with Thomas Felberg , who did all of the pragmatic force and prosthetic designing and the aim of the tapeworm and material , I spent a destiny of time at his studio apartment just to understand how he works and discuss colors of blood and all of this . And so I just really dived into it , and I have it off the ambitiousness level was very high . For a while , I was a bit insecure .
Just after shooting , I had this repercussion , because I just went for it , and then I was like , " S – tetraiodothyronine , do I have hubris ? Have I prove to do too much ? " But I ’m very proud that I ’ve made peace with my ambition in the sense that it ’s that ambition that brought all the talent on plank , that inspired all these people to come on board . It ’s that ambitiousness that made it possible to be what it is today . And of trend , there ’s some of my own secret film maker ambitions that I did not hit , but issue forth on , it ’s my first feature article . And I think it ’s awe-inspiring how it turned out , but it ’s really thanks to a lot of amazing talent that we have in Scandinavia that I was so fortunate to work with .
Myren Had A Sympathetic Connection To Her Role That Also Imbued Her With A Sense Of Responsibility
“I don’t have her insecurities, but I know about them…”
For Myren , one of the straightaway draws for starring inThe Ugly Stepsisterwas her own upbringing by her " feminist mother",immediately agnise the potential to tell a thematically relevant story . She did , however , go on to take down her own late love of the organic structure horror genre and how that tap into part of her acting training that she was excited to explore on covert :
Lea Myren : I intend , so many things . First of all , I ’ve grown up with a feminist mother , so I ’ve grown up being the sort of pesky girl in class being like , " Why do you say manly about this and blah , blah , blah , " and commenting on all these societal concepts that are just there live . And so for me , doing a feminist motion picture for my first feature was just a bighearted , magnanimous exclusive right and a reason itself , because I need to recount those stories . That ’s why I move . It ’s because I desire to narrate crucial stories . I want to play case that people can connect to . And so that was one of the biggest reasons , basically , because I suppose the narration was compelling and crucial . And also the organic structure horror part .
I also love body horror , I also have into it a few years prior to my audition , and I just have it away everything grotesque . I ’m a very physical thespian . I studied in Paris at Lecoq , which is a forcible do school and everything . So I ’m very in touch with my torso and I really call back that makes me interested in how to change the body and how to tear it down to show what ’s inside of a person , both physically , but also just emotionally . I think body repulsion is just a unadulterated fashion to examine the human experience .
When it came to whether she found herself connecting to her character , Myren admitted that there were " some ways " in which she did n’t relate to Elvira , particularly as she ’s " path more unassailable in my own body " . That said , she did acknowledge that there are many multitude in her life who have run across the same insecurities as Elvira and feel " such a duty " to be true to the lineament and her struggles :
Lea Myren : Absolutely . I mean , in some way , no , because I ’m right smart more secure in my own body than Elvira is , and I have been fortunate enough to mature up consent myself and loving myself , which is kudos to my parent and also just the environments I ’ve grow up in . But this was also just an important fact why I need to do Elvira , because I require to give her that trust from an actor ’s view . Do you know what I intend ? So I do n’t have her insecurity , but I know about them and I see them in all my friend and in people I lie with . So , I thought it was such a responsibility to bring her story to life , even though I ca n’t relate to her biggest insecurities , I can have the strength to portray them in a respectful manner .
Blichfeldt went on to chime in with her own initial concerns of being capable to happen a star who could authentically draw Elvira ’s struggles , namely as it would require being"brave , crazy , emotional , physically strong , physically vulnerable " and " humourous " . She reason by celebrating convey to fulfill and cast Myren , as she happen the untried star had " such an integrity and such a freedom of expression " that made her utter for the part :
Emilie Blichfeldt : That ’s so true though . I had no idea how I was survive to witness this actress that was young , brave , crazy , emotional , physically strong , physically vulnerable , humorous , all of them . And then Lea comes along , and I mean one of the big rationality why Lea can do this theatrical role , just as she says , is because she has such an integrity and such a exemption of expression within herself . She ’s so brave and destitute in what she can do or how she can attend . She does n’t care . The more crazy look she makes , the more she prize herself , and the more I value her . [ Laughs ] And I opine that ’s just an extra gift to the labor because Lea is also just such a respectable example of what you may attain if you are free of body press , what you may dare to do and what you may presume to be and how fun and exciting that can be .
Myren also further reflected on the fact she was not as upset about the physical side of the role because that ’s what she trained in , and she lie with " solve with my eubstance " . Instead , she found the emotional nature of the role to be what touch her the most , pointing out one specific import during filming in which she " had a piddling dislocation " after a specific second in which she profoundly connected to Elvira :
Lea Myren : To be dependable , for me , physical acting is much promiscuous than aroused performing , because I figure out with my body . I enjoy working with my body . But the emotional aspect on top of that , to reach a deepness where she is so extremely low-spirited — for instance , when I just fall down the stairs , I call up , and we talked about this at the Q&A last night , how I had a little breakdown after we shot that , because I ’d already done all this forcible acting , but then I see myself just strictly laying still , just falling down some stairs , and having break all this reciprocal ohm – t. But the realization of losing my dream in that minute , to see Cinderella take the air out with the prince , and everything she ’s worked for throughout the whole movie and also what I ’ve play for —
Emilie Blichfeldt : All that pain and all the sweat .
Lea Myren : All the pain and all the sweat and tears , it was just so emotionally demanding for myself , not because of my own psychic trauma or whatever get up , but just my love for Elvira was so strong that I got so sad realizing that she ’d lost . But I mean , in the self-aggrandizing picture , she gain , because she maybe has a brighter future than being with the prince that does n’t really love her for who she is . So , yeah , that was maybe the most thought-provoking part , the excited face of it . She ’s so precious . I love her so much , and I see her in myself , but also just everyone around me , girls , my sister , her friends , and my first cousin , she ’s six . Yeah , Elvira is everyone .
Blichfeldt & Myren Feel Honored By Comparisons ToThe Substance
“I certainly hope it doesn’t stop with us.”
While the movie may have only just premiered , The Ugly Stepsisteris already doing very well with critic , presently sit at a 97 % commendation rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes . In many of the review , critics are directly comparing it toDemi Moore’sThe Substance , which Blichfeldt and Myren take down they had no knowledge of while they were making their film , but do express an admiration of being compare to already , and think it ’s metre for more sentiment - provoking body horror movie :
Emilie Blichfeldt : I guess , although we ’re combat the same musical theme as The Substance , and with some of the same , let ’s say , formalistic tools of cinema - making , and the musical style of organic structure horror , they are two very dissimilar picture show , but I think it ’s amazing that The Substance is trailblazing for us . There ’s such a bombination for The Substance , which crap people so concerned in our motion-picture show , because they ’re like , " Oh my God , we empathise the thing with feminism and body horror , " or knockout repulsion as I care to call it . I recall it is just so exciting , andI would say The Substance is quite obscure , it ’s quite out there , and it ’s a very apart , but beautifully think - out torso horror , through and through , and now suddenly it ’s up for Oscars .
Lea Myren : The taste of it is also something you do n’t really see in the bigger Hollywood movies , and to shovel our style through , yeah , it ’s great .
Emilie Blichfeldt : And I think the time ’s ripe . It give me promise for the time to come , because it seems like the audience is hungry for these story , and not just women , but also human race . Of course , we ’re watch it from a distaff perspective , but what ’s happening in the world right now is that more and more men are also subjected to the same kind of force per unit area for a sure kind of an appearance . I think it ’s deeply problematic , because it can really freeze out us .
It makes us very vulnerable and solitary when you ’re under consistence press , and we need to come together as a beau monde and say that we have to check this . This is not healthy , and it ’s not good for us . And that ’s both for women and for men and for all of those in between . Yeah , it ’s very interesting , because we had a similar approximation at the same prison term . I did n’t know of The Substance before it amount out at Cannes , and I got this estimation eight year ago . So who recognise ? Is there a Japanese feminist trunk revulsion popping up , or German ? Who roll in the hay ? I for sure go for it does n’t stop with us .
Check out more Sundance 2025 interview coverage here , including :
The Ugly Stepsistermade its world premiere at Sundance on January 23 and is expected to release on Shudder in the U.S. later this yr !
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The Ugly Stepsister offers a comedic horror twist on the Graeco-Roman poof tarradiddle , centering on Cinderella ’s stepsister , Elvira . Set in a kingdom ghost with dish , Elvira vie with her glamorous sib , fall back to drastic bill to bring home the bacon the prince ’s warmheartedness .
