Rarely does someone grow up loving a Disney princess and then get the chance to play their idol in a film, but that’s just what happened for British actress Naomi Scott, who landed the coveted role of Princess Jasmine in Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of Disney’s 1992 classic ‘Aladdin’.
Scott, whose mother is of Indian descent and whose father is British, had found herself instantly drawn to the dark-eyed, dark-haired, olive-skinned Jasmine as a child.
“Having a Disney princess that looked something like me, I think was really powerful,” says Scott.
It’s a huge moment for the 25-year-old actress, known for 2017’s ‘Power Rangers’ and the upcoming ‘Charlie’s Angels’ reboot. Stepping into the iconic role of Jasmine, she said she was excited to put her own twist on a Disney princess who has been revamped to reflect present-day ideals. Scott’s Jasmine builds on the DNA of the animated version, who has long been celebrated for having a feminist point of view as she fought against being married off to just any prince, per the rules of Agrabah.
“Princess Jasmine is genuinely one of my favorite princesses growing up, although I feel like anyone would say that. Jasmine’s main objective at the beginning of the movie is really to protect her people, to do right by them, and she’s a bad-arse, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t get upset when she thinks Aladdin screws up. She definitely isn’t a finished article at the beginning of the movie, but she has this beautiful arc and progression, and she goes from asking for what she wants to really just taking it, and displaying that she is a leader, and that’s what I loved the most: Taking something and actually creating something with so much more depth was the most fun and the biggest honor for me, but I’m surrounded by amazing women that I can take inspiration from,” Scott said. Entertainment Weekly
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