'Babes, Musical Theater Stuff & That Meryl Chick': Billy Magnussen’s Into the Woods DVD Commentary
Good news, Into the Woods fans: Beginning March 24 you can watch the movie adaptation as much as you want, whenever you want, on Blu-Ray and digital HD. All we ask is that you bring us back the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn and—oh wait, no, you can just pick up the DVD at the store or online! Broadway vet Billy Magnussen, who plays the adorably goofy Rapunzel’s Prince in the hit movie, told Broadway.com about his six favorite moments in the movie that deserve a second look, which cast member he still hangs out with and why he loved being surrounded by "babes” on set.
1. “PROLOGUE”
“I love the opening of the film, man. It jumps right into the story, and Rob [Marshall, director], the monster he is, puts all of those components together at once. It’s what, basically three different stories all at the same time? That’s awesome! Doing the whole film was literally like a summer camp of musical theater stuff. I’ve never been a part of that, so it was cool just to watch everyone and see how they all paint the canvas differently. Oh, and I think Daniel [Huttlestone], the kid who plays Jack, is awesome. He’s a ladies man! He’s gonna slay the women when he gets older.”
2. THE WOODS SET
“You know what's crazy, if you really think about it? A lot of Into the Woods was shot on a soundstage, so they created this forest that goes on for an acre, but it’s inside. They control everything! I think there was a guy that had to staple every leaf onto these trees. There was a guy like, ‘Hey, Syd, you gotta go do that tree now.’ Every single leaf! That was the attention to detail. Think about that! It's crazy.”
3. “AGONY”
“Me and Chris Pine had a great time. Pine’s awesome. Rob made a playground for us to play on and we just had a field day. I got a friend out of this process and it was just awesome. Look at Chris’ face in this song—he makes me laugh every time I look at him! I was nervous about 'Agony' at first. We had a blast on set but I didn’t want to assume anything. The first time I saw the movie was at the opening, and I had my whole family there. I was in my head a lot, so I barely remember watching it, but people kept coming up to me after the movie saying, 'Dude, good stuff.'”
4. CLIMBING RAPUNZEL’S HAIR
“Oh man, this was so fun. The moment where I say goodbye to Rapunzel [played by Mackenzie Mauzy] and then dive out and slam into the side, originally we had it where I’d do it so gallantly and perfect and land on the horse and take off, and I was like, 'Rob, what if it didn't work out that way?' Realistically, this is probably the first time he’s jumped out of a castle after climbing down hair. Unlike Cinderella’s Prince, my character is always trying to be Prince Charming, but he’s just not. That’s what I love about his relationship with Rapunzel. You don’t have to be Prince Charming to be perfect for someone.”
5. “STAY WITH ME”
“Dude, I think this chick’s gonna have a career. ‘Stay With Me’ is heartbreaking and Meryl Streep just kills it. That’s what musical theater’s all about, you know? Where the music and the acting and the performance and the visual, the story, everything comes together and Meryl just knows how to weave it all together. The detail our art department did was unbelievable. When I was on that set, I really believed I was in a castle. I was like, ‘Yep, this is Rapunzel’s castle.’”
6. PRINCESS POWER
“It’s such a heavily female-driven cast, and the princes are defined by their princesses, which is a really cool thing that doesn’t usually happen. It’s not Prince Charming, it's Cinderella’s Prince. It’s Rapunzel’s Prince. It’s the Witch, it’s the Baker’s Wife—well, uh, that one doesn’t work [laughs]. But I think it's awesome, what Sondheim was trying to do. Dude, I love babes. I love babes! I’d love to always be surrounded by talented, beautiful women. I’m cool with that.”