Legendary actress Julie Andrews and Cameron Diaz, one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, provide the now familiar voices of mother and daughter characters Fiona and the Queen in Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third. That onscreen relationship appears to have had an impact on the two actresses because when Diaz and Andrews teamed up to do interviews, Andrews still referred to Diaz as her daughter. And, of course, Diaz accepts that as a compliment since she’s always been a fan of Andrews’ work.
The Appeal of the Shrek Franchise: “I'm so happy to be a part of it because of the integrity of the film, the message that it puts out every time,” explained Diaz. “The fact that it's for so many audiences and even the message that Fiona gives - the princesses are the vehicle for that story - they tell the story of don't just sit around and wait to be rescued. ‘Go out and take care (of it). If you want this, go and get it. You can't wait for somebody to do it for you.’ That's a message for everyone. And it's for boys and girls, men and women. It's for people who known it all along and need to hear it again, and it's for people who have never heard and need to hear it for the first time. So it's delivering that and putting that out into the world. I'm honored to be a part of that; I want to be a part of that. Plus, the fact that you know that they're going to take that technology they made - you look at the first one to the third one, how they've [progressed]…”
Andrews added, “The quality of this third one is superb.
It's luminous and it's pretty, and I'm so pleased that everybody else picked up on it. Everybody in all my interviews yesterday, they were saying, (she gasps) 'It's just - who knew that digital animation could go even further than it was.'”
Continuity and the Shrek Films: According to both Andrews and Diaz, the process of providing the voices of the Queen and Fiona has remained the same from film to film. “The actual work process doesn't change,” explained Andrews. “You go into a booth all by yourself and you don't meet your fellow actors, which is sad. It's just the way animation is done. We do, thank God, all meet up later.”
Fairy Tale Princesses are No Shrinking Violets: At least they’re not in Shrek the Third. Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty could be the new Charlie’s Angels, a fact that delighted Diaz. The Charlie’s Angel actress had no idea that’s where the script was going. “No, they just did that. …You know, it's a discovery for me, every time I go in it's, ‘What's it going to be?’ I was like, 'Really?' I love how they're just ripping off their sleeves, and I love when the stepsister, Larry King, rips it off and he's got that tattoo. It's brilliant. And the great thing is it's how they deliver that. They deliver that message with humor, they deliver it in the best possible way, and they do it as turning the traditional fairy book princess on its ear. They hit so many different levels, in delivering that message and it's fun. It's really fun. I love it.”
Feeling Protective of Fiona: Diaz loves Fiona and felt comfortable offering a little input whenever it was needed. “The first Shrek I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know Fiona at all. I had no idea who she was; I didn't know what context she fit into the story. And now I do. I look out for her in a totally different way. I respect her. I want to protect her, not that I have to because they all have her best interest as well, obviously. They want to be true to Fiona as well. The one instance, the only thing I can think of is after Fiona and Shrek got married there was a slight nag that started to happen that I was not so keen on. I was like, 'She cannot be a nag.' And a nag I mean like she was a little bit selfish about how she expected Shrek to show up for her, and I just didn't feel it was fair to him.
She knows Shrek, she knows his weaknesses. She knows it's hard for him to be out of the swamp and be in the kingdom, and she can't expect him to show up for her every single time. And even in that scene where they have to get dressed up, that was sort of that thing of like, 'Come on Shrek, do this,' we turn it into like, 'Please do this. I know it's hard for you, but please can you do it?' Not, ‘I can't believe you're not going to do this for me.' So it's that kind of mentality.”
On Justin Timberlake’s Performance in Shrek the Third: During the production of Shrek 2 and parts of Shrek the Third, Diaz and Timberlake were a couple. They’ve since gone their separate ways but Diaz is still enthusiastic about Timberlake’s performance as Prince Artie. “I think he's fantastic,” offered Diaz who said she had nothing to do with Timberlake getting the role. “I think Jeffrey (Katzenberg) had a crush on him for a really long time,” joked Diaz. “You remember in the first Shrek, there was this Sir Justin poster over Fiona's bed. I had nothing to do with that. That was something that Jeffrey had in his mind for a while. It's great. It's fun. It's appropriate.”
Page 2:On Fairy Tale Favorites and Happily Ever After