If you’re a ’90s kid, then I’m guessing that the movie, The Princess Diaries has a special place in your heart.
It introduced us to Anne Hathway , and for that, I will always be in its debt.
RELATED STORIES
But there are a lot of behind-the-scenes fun facts that are going to make you love it even more (if that’s possible).
*The Princess Diaries* is one of the most iconic movies of all time.
It tells the beautiful coming of age story of Mia Thermopolis who tries to balance love, freedom, family, and even politics as she learns to become a princess.
Plus, it has Julie Andrews, so it was a winner from the get-go.
However, just because everyone loves this movie (and why wouldn’t you), that doesn’t mean that they know everything about it!
But thankfully, we are here to help with that!
We’ve compiled a great list of behind-the-scenes secrets about the movie! So let’s get into it!
1. It was Anne Hathaway’s first-ever role in a movie.
While it may be hard to believe, it’s true!
Although it may not have seemed like Anne Hathaway’s first movie gig because she was such a natural, it was, in fact, her first role.
2. Her pre-princess makeover involved a giant hair piece and an hour-long eyebrow application.
Ironically, Mia’s natural , pre-princess look was far from natural.
She had to wear a huge, fluffy hairpiece to achieve as much volume as she had, and her thick eyebrows took an hour to apply.
3. The scene where Mia stumbles over her own feet along the bleachers was 100% authentic.
Turns out that Anne Hathaway and Mia have something in common: They are both a bit clumsy!
Anne tripping while walking along the bleachers was actually a blooper that they decided to incorporate into the film.
4. One of the three producers of *The Princess Diaries* was Whitney Houston.
Whitney was a woman of many talents, and, evidently, one of them was film production.
She went on to co-produce the less popular sequel, Royal Engagement which, if you ask me, was still a great movie.
5. The role of Mia was offered to quite a few other actresses before Anne landed it.
Kirsten Dunst, Alicia Silverstone, Jessica Biel, Claire Danes, and Juliette Lewis, to name a few.
Thankfully the role was offered to Anne instead. I really couldn’t imagine anyone else as Mia but her.
6. The movie was filmed on Stage 2 at the Walt Disney Studios in California.
This also happens to be the same stage where Mary Poppins was filmed — so I’m sure Julie Andrews already knew her way around set!
7. The actress who plays Queen Clarisse’s aide Charlotte, Kathleen Marshall, is the daughter of Gary Marshall, the film’s director!
Hollywood is definitely no stranger to a little bit of nepotism!
Thankfully, she was great in the role so it all worked out, really.
8. During the final dance scene, the crew played “Like A Prayer” by Madonna so that the actors would dance.
They dubbed the actual song they had to use over it and had to re-film the scene several times because the actors kept accidentally mouthing the words to “Like A Prayer.”
9. After Mia’s epic fail at the society dinner, a waiter says, “It happens all the time.” That same actor also plays a waiter in the movie, *Pretty Woman*.
And in Pretty Woman , he says the exact same line to Julia Roberts.
10. The brief glimpse of the photograph of Mia’s father in the opening scene is actually Anne Hathaway’s real father.
Who better to play her father than her real-life father, am I right?
It doesn’t get much more realistic than that.
11. Four different cats played Mia’s pet, Fat Louie.
Amazingly, they were able to find four cats — one of which was a stunt cat — that looked virtually identical to each other.
One of the cats was comfortable with being picked up, one performed stunts, and another one was used in the final scene.
One of the cats was Anne Hathaway’s real-life pet.
So, not only was it Anne Hathaway’s big break, but it was also her cat’s!
That’s what I like to call a win-win. It definitely explains the chemistry between the two characters!
12. Originally, the movie was supposed to be called *The Princess of Tribeca*.
While I am sure most of us can’t imagine The Princess Diaries being called anything but that, in another life, it may have been called The Princess of Tribeca instead.
Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?
13. Throughout the film, Julie Andrews wore half a million dollars worth of diamonds and jewelry, lent by famous jeweler, Harry Winston, specifically for the movie.
Mia’s custom-made tiara, surprisingly, however, was not quite as pricey!
They looked flawless wearing it.
14. The movie changed location in order for Garry Marshall to be closer to his granddaughters.
Tons of iconic movies take place in New York, so, if you ask me, it was a nice change of pace to have another iconic movie take place in San Fransisco.
15. The author (Meg Cabot) of *The Princess Diaries* based Mia’s mom’s dating life on a true story!
After Cabot’s father passed away, her mother ended up remarrying.
She ended up getting married to one of Cabot’s teachers! It was actually what inspired her to write the novel!
16. Fat Louie occasionally had a robotic stand-in.
“Fat Louie the cat in Princess Diaries sometimes had a robotic stand in because cats can’t always sit still. I once told a little boy this and he cried, so please don’t cry: Fat Louie IS a real cat – but sometimes he had a robot stand-in,” Cabot said.
17. Anne Hathaway insists that getting to work with Julie Andrews was a “dream come true.”
“Getting to make it and be on set every day, I got to hug Julie Andrews every day,” she said . “That part was also very, very, very magical. Then it came out and it was received. That part even, by the way, was magical.”
18. The most iconic line of the movie was not in the books.
After Mia finds out she’s a princess, she exclaims, “Shut UP!” to her grandmother , and Clarice looks incredibly offended.
That was added to the script! The line became so iconic, they used it again in the second movie.
19. The letter Mia reads from her father was also not in the books. It was specifically made for the movie.
This is the scene where Mia gets her courage to truly embrace being a princess.
Do you know any more behind-the-scenes secrets about *The Princess Diaries*?
Or were you pleasantly surprised by all the facts that we presented you with?
Either way, let us know down below in the comments! We would love to hear from you!
