New York (AP) — Charlie’s Castrosmith, the first Latino woman to co-direct a film at Walt Disney Animation Studios, admits she was sometimes frightened. But when she got the chance to work on “Encant,” she was undoubtedly.
“I said,’I have to do this. I have to do it,” Castro Smith said in an interview with The Associated Press. She participated in the project as a writer and never played the role of director.
Castro Smith, who has a young daughter, says, “For me, it means a world where little brown children everywhere see themselves, see and feel positively expressed. “.
Encanto, co-directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, addresses the frustration of being the only member of a non-magical family in Colombia, a country of magical realism. I’m chasing a teenage girl, Mirabel Madrigal. .. Theatrical release on November 24th.
Castrosmith and Bush also share writing credits with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the original song for the film. Casts led by Argentine American actor Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, “In the Heights”) include Diane Guerrero, John Leguizamo, Wilmer Valderrama, and Colombian Angie Cepeda.
“Encant” is arguably a big step for Castro Smith, who started out as a playwright and has made a mark as a screenwriter for “Devious Maids.” She was also the producer and screenwriter of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Hill House. exorcist. “
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Her view as a woman raised in a Cuban-American family proved to be useful for her work.
“Charise has been a godsend from the moment she joined Encanto, laying the foundation for the heart, fragility and credibility of the film as a whole,” Bush said in an email to AP. increase. “From day one, she wanted to create a Mirabel, unique, flawed, completely human character that would be familiar to viewers around the world and tell the story of so many Latino Americans. “
Initially brought in as a writer to work with Bush, she said she was asked to co-direct seven to eight months later. “So it happened somehow organically, and it was great.”
She specifically acknowledges her bond with Cuban grandmother as a source of inspiration for Abuela Alma, who is voiced by Colombian actor Maria Cecilia Botero in the film.
“I remember seeing a lot of that (talk) show” Christina “with her,” Castro Smith recalled his Abuela. “She encouraged me a lot. She was a wonderful woman. In fact, the play I recently wrote (” El Huracan “or” Hurricane “) is about her. “
Alma said, “I have a really different temperament from my grandmother … but I think that bond and intimacy really informed me when I was writing.”
Howard was also able to see this.
“From the beginning, Charise knew who Encanto’s Abuela Alma needed to be, both internally and externally,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “Charise’s writing of Alma’s courage and struggle has become the emotional center of the film. Many of this intimate relationship with the character comes directly from a strong woman in her own family.”
“This unique talent that blends real emotions with enhanced supernatural storytelling naturally comes to Charise. She always writes with a sense of emotional truth.”
Castro Smith grew up in Miami, attended Brown University as an undergraduate, and later attended the Yale School of Drama, where he earned an MFA in acting.
Growing up, storytelling was a big part of her life.
“My mom was like playing a play I wrote in the living room when I was little, and I was talking about my grandmother really encouraging me,” she recalled. “Then I went to see the first musical when I was in 3rd or 4th grade … and from that moment on,” I have to do this, I have to get involved in it It was like. “
In addition to the opportunity to display characters on the screen that children of color can relate to, Castro Smith may not be able to accept himself at first, but by the idea of the protagonist learning to see, “Encant” I was also attracted to her and accept her own value.
“I think it’s a powerful message I wanted to give to everyone,” she said. “But especially the fact that this is a Latin character, it was very personally important to me to display it on the screen, so working on it meant the world to me.”
On behalf of her, she hopes that “Encant” and other upcoming projects will pave the way for more works led and focused on minorities.
“It’s very important just because it verifies what we’re seeing. You can sympathize with what we’re seeing. What we’re seeing is us. Can stand in their own position, “said Castro Smith. “I think what I do as a storyteller, and what we all do as a narrator, is like the basis of the structure of society.”
And Castro Smith found her own value
“I love directing,” she said. “I want to continue doing it after this”
Sigal Ratner-Arias on Twitter https://twitter.com/sigalratner..
Copyright 2021 AP communication. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
Charise Castro Smith Brings Latin Experience to “Encanto” | Nation
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