Sincerity turns Adams into princess of the city

HOLLYWOOD -- Amy Adams grew up watching Disney's animated fairy tales and dreaming of becoming a princess.

For Adams, that childhood fantasy is now a reality. She plays an honest-to-goodness Disney princess in the musical fantasy "Enchanted," a combination of live action and traditional animation that arrived in theaters this week.

"I've always been attracted to characters who are positive and who come from a very innocent place," says Adams, who grew up in Colorado. "There's lots of room for discovery in those characters, and that's something I always have fun playing."

She might not be a household name, but Adams is the stunning redhead who became a surprise Oscar nominee in 2005 for her breakthrough performance as an eternally optimistic young woman in the heartwarming drama "Junebug."

More recently, the actress played supporting roles in the comedies "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny." She also appeared in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can."

Director Kevin Lima (Disney's "Tarzan" and "A Goofy Movie") was unfamiliar with Adams' work when she arrived for an audition a few years back. But it didn't take long for her to rise to the top of his casting list. "She walked in and looked like a princess," he recalls.

Adams says she decided from the outset not to judge her character, a wide-eyed innocent in a strange city. "I treated (the material) like it was Chekhov," she says. "Maybe they sensed my sincerity."

Adams, 33, starts out as a cartoon character named Giselle, who is engaged to marry Prince Edward after the two meet cute and then sing a duet in the animated land of Andalasia. That is, until the evil Queen Narissa, fearing that her control over the land will be lost when the couple marry, casts the innocent princess down a magic well to a very scary place: modern-day Manhattan.

Giselle emerges in human form from a manhole in the middle of Times Square, befuddled but also, in her innocent way, awestruck. Stumbling through the unfamiliar city, Giselle is rescued by Robert, a cynical divorce attorney who only agrees to bring the stranger home at the insistence of his 6-year-old daughter, Morgan. Soon Robert and Morgan discover there is something very different about Giselle. She has an unusual gift for communicating with critters, her outfit of choice is a ball gown, and she has a penchant for breaking into song at the drop of a hat. She also has the romantic notion that Prince Edward will rescue her so they can return to Andalasia to live happily ever after. But can a storybook romance survive in the real world?

The film also stars Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel and James Marsden, who is having a musical year after also appearing in the hit "Hairspray" as a Dick Clark-like TV dance show host.

Like Adams, Marsden found slipping into the animated Prince Edward character surprisingly easy.

"I don't want to sound like it was effortless, but when I read the script, it was very clear to me who this character was and how he should be played," he says. "He wasn't exactly like the princes from, say, 'Snow White' or 'Cinderella,' because those princes weren't really allowed to have much personality. (Edward) was always written larger than life with a healthy ego, but it all came from a place of innocence and sincerity, so that lets his narcissism off the hook."

Sarandon, an accomplished actress who has voiced other animated features, including "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" and "James and the Giant Peach," says it was fun bringing the deliciously evil Narissa to life.

"There's something about wearing those high collars that empowers you immediately," she says with a laugh.

Sarandon didn't look upon her character as a villain. "She's got this great setup: She's got real estate. She's a party girl, and she's been managing this world. And suddenly, this alliance (between Giselle and Edward) might change her position, so she decides she has to get rid of (Giselle)," she says.

Getting a chance to sing and dance was a treat for Adams, who began her acting career performing musical theater.

Marsden too relished the opportunity to sing. "Singing has always been a hobby of mine, and to be able to do it in an acting job was a lot of fun," he says. "I would do it again for sure."

Dempsey, who plays the handsome Dr. Derek Shepherd on "Grey's Anatomy," says it was a little tough being the straight man in a cast filled with larger-than-life characters. "Everyone's having a great time overacting and being brilliant, and I had to kind of just drive the narrative," he says.

But the married father of twin boys wanted to make a movie that families can enjoy. He also liked the idea of being part of a Disney feature.

"It's hard to find scripts that are original and different, yet there was something about this that also was timeless and familiar," he says.