For many young Black girls seeing Brandy portray a princess in the 1997 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella alongside Whitney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg marked a moment of representation.
In the ABC Special of Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20, Brandy expressed that her only goal when she was younger, was to become a singer, have her own band and meet Whitney Houston. “I had no idea that my destiny would take me to a role, Cinderella, be the first woman of color to play her, and then for Whitney Houston to be my fairy godmother,” she said in the special.
The 43-year-old singer made history as she became the first Black actress to play Cinderella, making it a staple musical. Now, 25 years later, Brandy is polishing that glass slipper to reprise her role in the new installation of the Descendants franchise on Disney+ titled The Pocketwatch starring Rita Ora.
According to Variety, Kylie Cantrall stars as Red, the rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, opposite Mia Baker as Chloe, the cheerful but naive daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. They cross paths at a momentous celebration in the kingdom of Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out.
Ironically, around this time last year, Paolo Montalbán, who played Prince Christopher in the film, shared a video of himself and Brandy reuniting, instantly creating fan theories about a sequel to the classic 1997 Cinderella.
“Some of you asked for a proper pic of the Cinderella/Prince mini-reunion last month. So here it is! The clip is a stocking stuffer of the actual moment [Brandy], and I saw each other for the first time in 24 years,” Montalbán posted on Instagram.
Now 25 years later, the news is out that the “Impossible” singer will grace our screens again with her role. “So excited to join this amazing cast and reprise my role as #Cinderella in the #DisneyDescendants sequel The Pocketwatch. Thank you to my @disney and @disneyplus fam. It’s Still Possible,” Brandy penned in an Instagram post.
About Kenyatta: Kenyatta Victoria is an entertainment and culture reporter passionate about music, pop culture, and marginalized stories. She has bylines in publications such as Chicago Reader, INSIDER, Girls United, TransLash Media, and the Chicago Tribune.