00:00Hi, I'm Samantha Barks and I'm Jodie Benson and you are watching TheStandard.com.uk
00:07Lovely to meet you both.
00:09Nice to meet you too.
00:10Tell me, when you found out you'd been cast as Pontic Ariel and Elsa,
00:14did you ever imagine the journeys that you would end up going on as a result?
00:19Nope, not at all.
00:20Never.
00:20Not a 39-year journey like this, no.
00:23I thought it was going to be a one-and-done project that would just disappear
00:27and no one would know who we were, so it's been an amazing journey.
00:32Yeah, same for me, I've been lucky to play some parts I've absolutely loved
00:37and Elsa I just thought was going to be another part I would love playing,
00:40but it's actually been a life-changing role in so many ways
00:44and I played it for three years and I could sing that song every single day.
00:50I love it so much, so it's very special.
00:52It's a really exciting time for Disney this year.
00:55Obviously with Disneyland Paris they just completed one of the biggest expansions
00:59and World of Frozen, I know you got to go there yourself, didn't you?
01:02What surprises do you think people can look forward to when they step into Arendelle?
01:06Well, I think the surprise that hit me was how true to the film it is
01:13and I'm a big fan of the film and I haven't been there with everybody else yet.
01:19I was there having a little sneak peek, but when I'm there next and seeing all the kids and adults
01:25and everyone just fully immersed in the world of Arendelle and loving it,
01:30that's when I think it will be even more magical because it's the experience, isn't it?
01:34Right.
01:34And Jodie, you got to have a bit of a full circle moment yourself.
01:37Your daughter was performing Ariel.
01:39Yes!
01:40Yes, she did.
01:41She did.
01:41She's played Ariel in the Little Mermaid musical and it was very surreal to be in the audience
01:47watching her sing Part of Your World and me sitting there right next to her watching her.
01:52It was so unbelievable and she made the character her own and I'm just so thrilled for her.
01:59It was really special.
02:01How does it feel seeing Ariel's story continue to evolve and be celebrated in the parks
02:06where new generations get to discover her in such an amazing way?
02:09I love it.
02:10I love whenever our story can be told.
02:12I love it.
02:13Whether it's live action, whether it's for our television series, whether it's in the parks
02:19and the attractions, getting to visit Ariel in her grotto at the parks is really, really special.
02:26So yeah, I love to watch people be able to connect to Ariel and connect to our film and what
02:32she
02:32means to them and to get to be a part of that is really an honor.
02:38What kind of reactions do you get when you meet people?
02:40I presume lots of people dressed up in costumes when they come up to you.
02:44Absolutely.
02:44To share their own stories with the characters.
02:45Yeah, I love it.
02:46I love to hear their stories and how they connect to our characters and what they mean to them
02:51and each person has a different story to tell and to be a small part, no pun intended,
02:57but to be a small part of their world is an honor and a privilege.
03:03For me, when it comes to them in costume, I used to look out on stage and I would see
03:08a sea of blue sequins.
03:10And I just loved it. I was like, this is what it's about, isn't it?
03:15Giving people a theatrical experience, whether that's if you're watching The Little Mermaid for the first time.
03:20Me watching The Little Mermaid was probably one of my first musical experiences
03:25and those early experiences are then the reason why you do it as a job.
03:30So that is so special. It's never lost on me to get to maybe be the first theatrical experience someone's
03:37seen
03:37if they come and see Frozen.
03:38That's right.
03:38Really cool.
03:39That's amazing.
03:40I had the pleasure of seeing you on stage.
03:41Oh, great!
03:42When you change into the dress.
03:43Oh, wow.
03:44It's very fun to do that.
03:46Yeah.
03:47I'm hoping though, Alan Menken told me that The Little Mermaid musical might still come to the West End.
03:52Yes, I have heard that little rumor, so we shall see.
03:57That's me.
03:58There you go.
03:59That's great.
04:00Is there anything else you can tell me about what's coming up in the Disney parks?
04:03Oh, goodness.
04:04Ooh.
04:05Lots and lots of stuff, that's for sure.
04:07But Frozen.
04:09The Frozen is going to be amazing.
04:11Well, the Frozen.
04:12To walk into the film.
04:13And I want to go again and experience it with everyone and just see everyone's faces
04:18because it really is perfect.
04:20It's so beautiful.
04:21The ice palace, the fountain, that was the coolest thing for me.
04:25It's so beautiful.
04:26It really just is a moment of the film.
04:28And I thought they just did such a beautiful job.
04:31The details are so beautiful.
04:33And you go into the restaurant, as you're walking around backstage to meet Elsa and Anna,
04:39you see the details in the carpet, in the wallpaper.
04:44It's perfect.
04:45It's so beautiful.
04:46I can't wait.
04:47Yeah.
04:48Yeah.
04:48Yeah.
04:48Yeah.
04:49Yeah.
04:50Yeah.
04:51You
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