Development The Princess Diaries is based on the 2000
young adult novel of the same name by author
Meg Cabot. Cabot's agent believed the first
Princess Diaries book showed promising film potential, Having enjoyed the book herself, Chase convinced Disney to adapt it into a feature-length project. although some media outlets reported that Cabot had been offered "mid- to low-six figures". Cabot recalled that Disney's decision to adapt
The Princess Diaries resulted in a promotion at her own job, prior to which publishers had been unwilling to publish her novel due to concerns that some of its content was inappropriate for young readers.
HarperCollins showed interest in Cabot's
manuscript in 1999, followed by Disney shortly afterward. served as the film's director. He changed the film's setting from New York to San Francisco in honor of his grandchildren. Although Cabot did not write the screenplay herself, she discussed changes deemed necessary for translating the story from page to screen with Chase, Furthermore, the director admitted to being fond of "female
wish-fulfillment and empowerment movies". prompting him to mistake it for a movie about
cows.
The Princess Diaries was Houston's first
feature film production venture, and her studio's second film after
Cinderella. Houston and Chase hoped that
The Princess Diaries would be BrownHouse Productions' first in a series of female-led wish-fulfillment films, Chase recalled that, at the time, Hollywood believed that while girls would willingly see a film intended for boys, it was difficult to convince boys to see a female-oriented film, but were encouraged by the success of Disney's
The Parent Trap (1998).
The Princess Diaries was optioned to challenge the belief that children were losing interest in
live-action films targeted towards girls, and Marshall was hired specifically to make a
G-rated film "edgy and crazy and maybe something the adults will like". The film differs considerably from the novel. Initially intended to be set in New York like Cabot's book, the film was originally called
The Princess of Tribeca. a decision Marshall made because the latter is home to both himself and his granddaughters, to whom the film is dedicated. Despite being consulted about such changes, Cabot distanced herself from the creative process to avoid compromising her vision for future novels, elaborating, "I don't think Garry Marshall needs 'help' to make a movie… from a novelist who has absolutely no experience in film-making." Although Cabot admitted that Disney consulted with her before making changes, she described their conversations as more informative than collaborative. Her only prior acting credit had been in the short-lived television series
Get Real. Hathaway recalled that she fell out of her chair out of nervousness, and her inherent clumsiness is credited with impressing Marshall. Several established young actresses had been considered for the role, including
Reese Witherspoon,
Kirsten Dunst,
Natalie Portman,
Alicia Silverstone,
Jessica Biel,
Claire Danes,
Drew Barrymore, while
Liv Tyler was deemed a
front-runner. Marshall's granddaughters convinced the director to cast Hathaway over Tyler because they felt that she possessed the more "princess-like hair". Hathaway identified with her character's personality and struggles with self-confidence, drawing similarities between Mia's shyness and her own awkwardness in high school. For Marshall, Hathaway's appearance and performance were reminiscent of
Julia Roberts, whom he had directed to great success in the romantic comedy
Pretty Woman (1990). was cast as Clarisse Renaldi. Marshall personally invited Andrews to discuss the film with him; she identified the director as "the hook" that ultimately convinced her to accept the role, having already been a
fan of his work. She accepted solely based on her conversations with Marshall without reading the script. having been a fan of hers since
Broadway's
My Fair Lady (1956). Andrews incorporated knowledge she had acquired about
European royalty and
Britain's royal family into her performance;
Elizabeth II herself had knighted Andrews a
Dame of the British Empire one year prior. Marshall allowed Andrews significant creative freedom over Clarisse's portrayal. although she maintains that the younger actress required very little training due to her natural instincts. Marshall cast
Heather Matarazzo as Lilly Moscovitz after casting director
Marcia Ross introduced them to each other, promising that Matarazzo was different from other actresses he had interviewed for the part. Matarazzo participated in a
chemistry reading opposite Hathaway after auditioning for Marshall. Elizondo is known for appearing in all 18 films Marshall directed. Marshall was the first film director with whom Moore, sixteen years old at the time, ever worked, and appreciated that most of her co-stars were similar to her own age. His daughter Kathleen plays Clarisse's secretary, Charlotte Kutaway. The character, whose surname is only revealed during the end credits, was named after how often she is used in
cutaway shots, and her role references the filmmaking technique of cutting away to someone whenever something goes awry. Marshall's wife appears as a ball guest, while his twin granddaughters Lily and Charlotte, the same granddaughters who inspired him to cast Hathaway, The producers decided to
kill off Mia's father to expand Clarisse's role, for which they had wanted Andrews cast from the beginning. Wendkos said Miller's Paolo was deliberately written to be "over-the-top". Mia recites one of
Juliet's
soliloquies from
William Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet, a deliberate reference to the fact that Hathaway shares her full name with
Shakespeare's wife. Wendkos spent more effort revising Mia's makeover sequence than any other scene in the filming, wanting to achieve a "clearer progression from the ugly duckling to the
ingenue", as per Marshall's request. another film directed by Marshall to which
The Princess Diaries has often been compared. In addition to sharing a "
Pygmalion-esque transformation story", both films share several cast members, Most notably, actor Alan Kent, portraying a waiter,
Principal photography took place from September to December 2000, although filming had originally been scheduled to begin one month before the novel was published. the same
sound stage where
Mary Poppins starring Andrews had been filmed during the 1960s. The stage was later renamed the "Julie Andrews Stage" in honor of her work there.
fire station on Brazil Avenue in the
Excelsior District served as Mia and Helen's home, with its interior recreated in the studio. Mia's
private school, Grove High School, was represented by
Bob Lurie's recently vacated mansion and the rooftop of the
Hamlin School. the production designers decorated
Zuma Beach to resemble San Francisco's
Baker Beach. Hathaway tripped and fell while filming a scene in which she is walking atop
bleachers during the rain, but continued to recite her lines as though nothing had happened. The crowns and tiaras worn by both actresses are preserved by the
Walt Disney Archives, into which they were inducted in 2016 to commemorate the film's 15th anniversary. Hathaway donned false eyebrows and a wig to make her character's makeover more dramatic. == Themes ==