Disney’s Cruella Star Talks Shooting That Epic Fashion Show

Emma Stone strutting down the runway as Cruella in Disney+'s Cruella

Fans of legendary villain Cruella de Vil and The Devil Wears Prada, Disney’s Cruella was made for you. This film features 277 costumes across the principal cast and 47 changes for Emma Stone’s Estella and Cruella. An insane amount of detail went into every aspect, including the fashion, so it’s no wonder the fashion show was John McCrea’s favorite scene to shoot.

Bonding over their mutual love of fashion, Estella (Emma Stone) and Artie (John McCrea) get on quite quickly. Artie owns a vintage shop that Estella frequents as she rises in her career as a designer and also needs new material to debut each time she transitions into Cruella. While the sets are elaborate from start to finish, the fashion show scene stands out, and here’s why McCrea told CinemaBlend about filming it:

I have a favorite scene to shoot, which was the big fashion show by the fountain where I get to sing and sort of live out my rockstar dream and I have all those little diamontes on my face. I mean, that was just really surreal. And I think that was definitely my favorite scene to shoot...Genuinely, it did feel like I was at a rock concert, which is a feeling I've never had before. I was loving my life, jamming along to my own voice and doing lots of headbanging. It was sort of four o'clock in the morning and I remember it was getting really, really cold, and I imagine most people became a bit miserable. But every time they said ‘We need to go again’ I was like ‘Yes!’ because it was just so much fun. I didn't really know what I was going to wear or what the makeup was going to be fully until I got there. So it really isn't until you finally step onto set that it all comes together and you go, ‘I can't believe I get to do this for a living.’

It sounds like the cast had a blast making Cruella. Even if it was early in the morning (or late at night, however you see it) and cold, who wouldn’t love having a rockstar moment? McCrea mentioned it took quite a while for each actor to get into hair and makeup, which is not surprising seeing the detail that went into this film.

While Estella (Emma Stone) and the Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson) are both fashion designers, it was to be expected that both of these characters would have elaborate costuming. It was a pleasant surprise to see the ornate detail extended to all characters, including the extras (and that pop-up fashion show included 250 supporting cast). Hats off to designer Jenny Beavan for her truly impeccable costume work.

You can see Disney’s Cruella in theaters now, and on Disney+ with Premier Access. If you love fashion, check out Freeform’s The Bold Type or Paramount+’s Younger for some amazing looks. Check back with CinemaBlend for updates on the Cruella cast - where they’ve been and where they’re going.

Samantha LaBat

Obsessed with Hamilton and most things Disney. Gets too attached to TV show characters. Loves a good thriller, but will only tolerate so much blood.