Those are some words of wisdom from Annie star Cameron Diaz talking to Parade.com, about her new role as Miss Hannigan in the new modern version of the classic musical about the iconic little orphan.
The movie getting a contemporary update co-stars Jamie Foxx who takes the new Daddy Warbucks-styled role of Will Stacks, and Annie herself—now played by 10-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis--the youngest person ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar (for last year’s Beasts of the Southern Wild.)
They all spoke to Parade.com. Here’s some:
“It’s one of those stories that reaches people,” says Cameron Diaz. “You want Annie to find somebody who wants to love her, who will give her a home and take care of her.”
Cameron Diaz: On drawing on her own experiences with fame to relate to Miss Hannigan’s show business struggles:
“I am just so grateful for every single breath, to tell you the truth. I feel nothing should be taken for granted, nothing…So my motto is ‘Gratitude is the only attitude.’ I try to give gratitude every day for every little bit of everything in my life.”
Cameron Diaz: On the challenge of making a musical:
“Singing in front of people and heights are the two things that really terrify me. So I’ve jumped out of airplanes and scaled sides of mountains to get over my fear of heights. With singing, I decided to do a musical and put myself out to the entire world.”
Quvenzhané Wallis: On the similarities between herself and Annie:
“We both go for it, we both keep doing what we want to do, and we are both very strong.”
Jamie Foxx: On being reminded of the story’s universal appeal while watching music mogul Jay-Z, one the the film’s producers, performing at a starpacked Super Bowl party:
“When he started doing ‘Hard-Knock Life,’ people of all ages and all colors went crazy.”
Jamie Foxx: On why the story should particularly resonate around Christmas:
“To be able to have family together, to be happy and healthy—it’s the simple things in life that we have to hold on to. Because at the end of the day if everyone can be happy and healthy, that’s more than enough.”
Read more here: http://parade.com/356105/