Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles Working as a Disney princess sounds like a job straight out of a fairytale. But there's a lot more to the position than you would think. Here's what some workers have revealed about what it's really like to play Disney royalty at a theme park. If you're auditioning to become a Disney Parks princess, you should know that you might have to start at the bottom before you make it to the top. While the standard audition process for other productions usually involves learning lines and mannerisms specific to one character, your audition to play a Disney princess is actually your audition to play any of Disney's many beloved characters. In other words, even if you ace your audition, you might not become royalty right away. As a former Disney princess explained in a Reddit AMA, The overall process can be pretty brutal as well. An anonymous woman who once portrayed Rapunzel at Disney World spoke to Insider about her experience, revealing surprising details about her audition process. The former Disney princess, who asked to be called Brianna Smith, said, It's probably not shocking to hear that women have to look a certain way in order to become a Disney princess, but you may not have realized that these women also have to be a specific height. In an interview with Insider, a former Disney World Rapunzel revealed that one of the most important aspects of being a princess is uniform height. To play a standard Disney princess, performers need to be between 5'4" and 5'7". However, to play a pint-sized princess like Tinkerbell, one has to be between 4'11" and 5'1". Katie McBroom, who used to play Snow White and Princess Leia, told BuzzFeed that the height requirement exists because actors at Disney have to be able to fit into costumes that already exist. Basically, they don't make a costume or uniform specifically for each new actor. The Disney staff doesn't do costume alterations for each specific actor, so if your measurements aren't exactly right, you're not getting the gig. Aside from height, your physical appearance is extremely important when you're a Disney princess. A Disney princess who goes by Becca told Refinery29 that Disney has a certain style that they expect their employees to follow. Some of the guidelines of this "Disney look" prevent performers from coloring their hair any shade that doesn't look natural and insist on fingernails being neatly manicured and natural in shade. Becca revealed that management keeps an eye on the princesses' appearances and can tell them if they need to "fix" something. The former employee added, A Disney princess speaking anonymously told Real Simple that they also have to watch how they look when they aren't on the job, saying, All work and no play makes a perfect princess, we guess. "Whatever." Playing a Disney princess means attracting a ton of attention from guests, and sometimes things can get really personal. Brianna Smith told Insider that during her time playing Rapunzel, one woman told her that she had recently suffered a miscarriage. Disney princess Becca told Refinery29 that she's had similar experiences, saying she's seen all sorts of guests throughout her time in the parks. Other than overly excited kids, Becca revealed that adults are often just as enthusiastic and even emotional, saying: There's a lot of training that goes into being a Disney princess, not unlike most other jobs. Often referred to as "princess school," it's where Disney princess hopefuls go to learn everything about the character they'll be playing, including their background, how to apply their makeup, their official signature, and their unique voice, personality, and quirks. "Oh! Hi, I'm Tinker Bell! But, all of my friends call me Tink." Brianna Smith told Insider that you have to know your assigned character "inside and out," and revealed that she used to rewatch the movies all the time to get a better idea of who her characters were. Smith explained: An anonymous princess who portrayed Belle at a Disney Park told Cosmopolitan magazine that princesses have to smile for "an hour straight" and can only drop those smiles when they are behind closed doors on a break, revealing: The former princess also said that her time spent interacting with the guests was limited because princesses are told they have to greet 172 guests every hour. She explained that there were ramifications if princesses failed to meet the magic number, and if a they racked up four strikes, they could be fired. Former Disney princess Emily Cook Harris revealed to Reader's Digest that the job is not as easy as it seems, saying, For many, another grueling part of being a princess was the constant improvisation that was involved. Katie McBroom told BuzzFeed, McBroom explained that a lot of people try to get the princesses to break character by bringing up random things like Nintendo, which characters like Snow White couldn't possibly know about. McBroom revealed she'd simply respond by saying things like, "Oh, I don't know what you mean." An anonymous princess echoed these sentiments to Real Simple, saying, Of course, knowing the movies inside and out is infinitely helpful in knowing exactly what the park-goers are talking about so you, err, your character, can formulate the appropriate response. The guests who try and make the princesses to break character are mostly harmless, but there are some who have ulterior motives. The princesses sometimes have to deal with dudes who take it upon themselves to play the role of Prince Charming and flirt with the actresses while they're in character. "Do people assume all your problems got solved because a big, strong man showed up?" "Yes, what is up with that?!" "She IS a princess!" An anonymous princess who played Belle told Cosmopolitan that one uncomfortable part of her job was dealing with visitors who would blatantly hit on her while she was in character, revealing: "Guys, I find that really distasteful." While being a Disney princess may seem like a great job, not every gig is regarded so highly. One position a lot of employees don't want is the role of a furry character, but most every princess has to don an uncomfortably warm and cumbersome costume for a bit before moving on to the likes of Snow White and Cinderella. At Disney Parks, fur characters are any character who wears a full face costume and doesn't talk. One former princess told Insider that the powers that be can make a performer play any fur character, saying, An anonymous princess told Cosmopolitan magazine that playing a fur character is "exhausting," saying, Despite the highly uncomfortable and even dangerous circumstances, playing a fur character is reportedly a requirement. In Reddit thread, a former princess revealed that performers aren't allowed to train as a princess unless they've paid their dues in fur training. Like any other job, Disney employees deal with a certain social hierarchy, and unfortunately, the princesses don't always have the best reputation. Speaking to Insider, one Disney princess insinuated that the princesses are the "queen bees" of the Disney employees. She explained there is an "unwritten social hierarchy" behind the scenes, saying: "Oh look, you guys! I'm Rapunzel!" "I gotta say, that seems right. You're adventurous, a little crazy, and way too into your hair." Another former princess revealed a similar experience in a Reddit thread, saying that many of her co-workers perceived her as being stuck up, something she insists couldn't be farther from the truth. The anonymous actress wrote, Additionally, an anonymous princess shared with Real Simple that she believes the princesses got a bad rap because others assumed they thought themselves to be "really pretty" or wanted to be "real-life princesses." Though, according to the actress herself, that was never actually the case. Disney princesses are always on their toes, and not just because of uncomfortable glass slippers. The performers portraying your favorite Disney characters are expected to be able to play any other character at a moment's notice. Emily Cook Harris told Reader's Digest that last minute schedule changes are far from unheard of, meaning a princess will often have to take on an entirely new role. While they're not technically princesses, Harris revealed that she once had to go straight from playing Alice in Wonderland to jumping in character for Wendy Darling from Peter Pan. The actress told Reader's Digest: Similarly, the princesses have to make sure they look and act exactly right so that they can completely mimic the other employees playing the same exact princess in a different area of the park. For example, if two Snow Whites are wandering around the park, they're both expected to look the same, talk the same, and have the same signature. Otherwise, you run the risk of really freaking out some kids. Employees don't just have to look exactly like the Disney princesses they're playing, they also have to sound like them. That means performers have to train rigorously to nail the princesses cadences, catchphrases, mannerisms, and they often have to learn to change their natural speaking voices entirely. An anonymous princess told Real Simple that performers go through a ton of voice training with a dialect coach, explaining, A Disney employee told BuzzFeed that a Disney character's voice is typically higher than an employee's actual voice. The anonymous worker revealed, Beauty is pain, and apparently the life of a Disney princess is, too. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.
B1 US princess disney princess character anonymous revealed told This Is What It's Really Like To Work As A Disney Princess 24 0 Courtney Shih posted on 2020/01/16 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary