Last month, "Cinderella" stars Paolo Montalbán and Brandy reunited for the first time in 24 years - and as a Christmas gifts to followers and fans, Montalbán shared a behind-the-scenes video of the moment.
In 1997, Brandy made history as the first Black princess in Disney’s history when she starred in in Robert Iscove's take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Brandy and Montalbán, who is Filipino-American and played Prince Charming, joined a diverse cast including Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters.
According to Montalbán, it was the last time the pair saw each other for nearly a quarter of a century, until they reunited in New York City in November 2021.
The two had both been attending an annual gala, hosted by Second Stage Theater, honoring Debra Martin Chase, who had been one of the film's executive producers. At the time, Montalbán posted a photo of the two together, but fans have been clamoring for more details.
On Christmas Day, Montalbán obliged.
“Merry Christmas Everyone!! 🎅🏻🎄☃️🎁,” he began the Instagram caption. “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. 🤗”
He continued, “Thank you @debramchase @2stnyc @kevhlin and most importantly all the supporters of @cinderellamusical for making that magical, memorable moment POSSIBLE. ❤️ @rodgersandhammerstein #cinderella1997 now streams on @disneyplus ✨”
The 1997 version of “Cinderella” earned seven Emmy Award nominations and is beloved by many fans, many of whom took to the comment section of the actor’s post to express their joy in seeing the former co-stars together again.
“My childhood,” wrote one fan.
“Best Christmas gift ever! I love seeing the both of you!!,” added another.
Brandy herself even commented on the short clip.
“I love you,” the R&B singer wrote. “Happy holidays.”
On Twitter, a fan shared a side-by-side photo of the stars from the film's set and the reunion writing, "24 years later and they STILL look good."
Earlier this year, Brandy, who’s currently starring in the ABC series “Queens,” celebrated “Cinderella” arriving on Disney+ by participating in a TikTok challenge.
In the short clip, she uses a makeup brush as her magic wand to transform herself into a princess rocking blue eye makeup, a stunning necklace, and a tiara to make the look complete.
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