“The Princess Diaries” Just Turned 20! Here’s What We Imagine The Movie Would Look Like With An All-Latino Cast
Photos: via isabella.gomez/Instagram; screenshot via YouTube
“The Princess Diaries” just had it’s 20th birthday! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? It seems like just yesterday that we were dragging out mom to take us to see Anne Hathaway transform from an awkward teen to the Princess of Genovia. And despite this movie being 20 years old, it really stands the test of time. Everything from Anne Hathaway’s performance to the beautiful San Francisco scenery still makes the movie as entrancing as it was in 2001.
However, there is one thing we would update if we had the ability to remake it in 2021. Actually, a few things. “The Princess Diaries” cast, unfortunately, has almost no diversity whatsoever and very few Latinos. Despite a few characters of color (shout out to Hector Elizondo and Sandra Oh), the cast was made up of mostly white actors.
So in honor of “The Princess Diaries” 20th anniversary, we’ve re-imagined the beloved teen classic with an all-Latino cast. Check out our picks below!
Isabella Gomez as Mia Thermopolis
Isabella Gomez would be the perfect Mia Thermopolis in an all-Latino “The Princess Diaries.” The Colombiana actress has proved on “One Day At a Time” that she can convincingly play an awkward bookworm. But take once peek at Gomez’s Instagram and you’ll see that her looks range from chic nerdy teen to trendy city girl. Not only that, but she has the perfect comedic timing for Mia’s iconic one-liners.
Chita Rivera as Queen Clarisse
Who else could step into Queen Clarisse’s shoes but another Broadway legend? Chita Rivera has the elegance, sophistication and talent to perfectly portray Mia’s grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia.
Alycia Pascual-Pena as Lily
We know what you’re thinking: she’s too cool to play Lily. But we disagree! If you’ve seen Alycia Pascual-Pena in projects like “Saved By the Bell” and “Moxie,” then you know she’s a talented actress who can practically play anything.
Hector Elizondo as Joe
Why mess with perfection? This talented veteran actor of Puerto Rican descent is the only person we could ever imagine playing the mysterious bodyguard with a heart of gold. Hector Elizondo could simply reprise his role as the iconic mononymous Joe in an all-Latino “The Princess Diaries.”
Isabela Merced as Lana
Isabel Merced has exactly what it takes to play mean girl queen bee Lana. Not only is the “Dora the Explorer” alum a great singer (just like Lana’s originator, Mandy Moore) but she also has the sugary-sweet looks that would make all the cute boys fall for her.
Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Michael
Boricua Jorge Lendeborg Jr. has the same cool, sleepy, smoothness that Michael needs to totally charm Mia into falling for him. We could totally Jorge delivering Mia a pizza with M&Ms on it.
Salma Hayek as Mia’s Mom, Helen
Salma Hayek is exactly the right actress to play Mia’s mom in an all-Latino “The Princess Diaries.” Not only could we see her seducing a prince, but we would also love to see Salma’s take on playing a hippie-dippy mom who lives in an old San Francisco fire house.
Froy Guittierrez as Josh
If you watched “Cruel Summer,” then you know Mexican-American Froy Guittierrez has the perfect mixture of charm and smarm to be the perfect Josh. He is exactly that type of guy that would convince you to make out with him just so he could have his 15 minutes of fame.
Cristela Alonzo as Vice Principal Gupta
We can’t, of course, forget the illustrious Vice Principal Gupta, whose small but memorable screen time launched a thousand fans. It’s hard to fill the shoes of someone as talented as Sandra Oh, but we would love to see comedienne Cristela Alonzo take a crack at it. If anything, Cristela knows how to make an audience laugh.
