Ever since we got our first glimpse at the teaser trailer months ago for the follow-up to 2014’s Maleficent, we’ve been looking forward to the return of this devilishly fun queen. Actress Angelina Jolie is reprising her role as the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil” in the sequel of the same name and by all accounts, it’s looking like it will be even more fun than the first.
Jolie and actress Elle Fanning are reprising their roles from the first movie and this time around screen icon Michelle Pfeiffer is joining the cast as Queen Ingrith — Maleficent’s arch-rival.
Disney caught up with the ladies of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to discuss the dark queen’s return and how she’s perhaps not quite as “evil” as she’s made out to be — despite the title given to her.
“I don’t think Maleficent’s bad, I think she’s… the nicest person,” Jolie says with a laugh. The Oscar-winning actress makes a strong point that perhaps Maleficent is more misunderstood than evil. “I think she’s actually kind of playful… crazy… possibly obsessive… and wild.” Truth be told, this is actually a lot more interesting for a character than the standard villain that is often the focus of so many fairy tales.
It wouldn’t be all that far-fetched for Maleficent to be gal pals with Catwoman, a playful, wild, and obsessive character that Michelle Pfeiffer played so purrrfectly in 1992’s Batman Returns.
In the Maleficent sequel, however, it’s actually Pfeiffer’s character Queen Ingrith who is more of the villain. Picking up five years after the events of the first film, Maleficent’s adopted daughter Aurora (Fanning) is engaged to be married but Queen Ingrith seeks to disrupt the possibility of marital bliss with all the manipulation she can muster.
Think Mean Girls, only now it’s set in a fantasy world where Disney princesses with magical powers battle for control. Maleficent may look the part of an evil queen — giant horns can really stereotype a lady — but she only wants the best for Aurora. If it takes the occasional bit of wickedness to protect the ones she cares about, so be it.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is now playing in theaters.
Images via Wald Disney Pictures