The Parent Trap is one of the most beloved films of all time, and a large part of its enduring success is the magical casting.
Most notably, it was Lindsay Lohan’s film debut — and the adorable little star captured the hearts of fans the world over for years to come. However, the endearing quality of the supporting cast was just as important, including the twins’ elegant, cosmopolitan mother Elizabeth James, played by Natasha Richardson.
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Tragically Richardson, who was married to Liam Neeson, passed away in 2009 after a tragic skiing accident. So when the cast reunited this week, they shared fond remembrances of their respective onscreen wife and mother. Lindsay shared:
“Natasha had such an elegance and grace and she was so maternal to me.”
Dennis Quaid, who played Richardson’s ex-husband and love interest, also shared glowing recollections of the actress. He said:
“[She was] just somebody so giving and so glad to be there and transmitted that joy. It made everything that much better.”
Elaine Hendrix, who played Richardson’s rival Meredith Blake, had a much warmer relationship with her offscreen. She explained:
“She would come into the hair and makeup trailer and she would literally swoon over talking about Liam and her kids. She would call him ‘My Liam,’ And she really seemed to have it all, which to me made what happened even more heartbreaking.”
Awww… Our hearts…
The actors had similarly kind words for the rest of the cast, and particularly for the lightning-in-a-bottle casting of Lohan as twins Hallie and Annie. Director Nancy Myers recalled:
“Putting aside how adorable she looked, she had that quality that just sort of leapt up at you and pulled you in. I think to be a movie star and to be the lead of a movie, you need to have that connection with the camera, that screen presence. We discovered a big star. We discovered somebody that everybody fell in love with.”
Quaid agreed:
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. This is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. Period. Forget that she’s 11 years old.’ I actually thought that there were two girls. I really did because your accent was so perfect… You were a natural. You just fell right into it.”
As for the Mean Girls star herself, she credited the experience with giving her “the acting bug,” saying:
“I was so young and it was just so fresh for me. It was my first movie audition, my first screen test, my first time in front of people like Nancy and Charles and on a sound stage. So I was just, like, a kid… I was really excited. I didn’t feel like I was working. It just felt like a really incredible learning experience for me and a lot of fun.”
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She also spoke about her sad personal connection to the film:
“My parents were kind of separating at the time when this was all going on and it made it a lot easier for me to play these characters that were figuring it out. I felt so lucky and really blessed by Nancy and [writer-producer] Charles [Shyer].”
Quaid revealed the full reunion would debut on his podcast The Dennissance. For now, you can watch an excerpted version, moderated by Katie Couric (below):
[Image via MTV/WENN/Disney+]
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