Amanda Seyfried Lands Role of Cinderella in Netflix's Fresh Take on Classic Fairy Tale
Amanda Seyfried, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress whose career has spanned everything from teen comedies to prestige drama, has landed the role of Cinderella in Netflix’s upcoming animated feature film Steps.
The streamer announced the casting on April 9, adding a high-profile name to a voice cast and creative team that signal Netflix’s continued ambition to carve out space in the animated feature landscape currently dominated by legacy studios.
Seyfried most recently starred in The Housemaid (2025) and The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), and she is best known for Mean Girls (2004), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Misérables (2012).
She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout (2022).
A Fairy Tale Built Around the “Villains”
What makes Steps particularly noteworthy for anyone tracking the animation space is its creative premise.
Rather than retelling the Cinderella story from the princess’s perspective, the film centers on Cinderella’s so-called “evil” stepsisters, Lilith and Margot.
In this version, misunderstood Lilith is blamed for hijacking the Royal Ball with a stolen magic wand. She accidentally turns her sister Margot into a frog, and the kingdom is left in the hands of a “prince-obsessed mean girl.”
Lilith must then team up with Cinderella — and a “surprisingly dreamy troll” — to save the kingdom, repair the fractured fairy tale and prove that even so-called villains deserve a happily ever after.
It’s a strategy of reimagining classic IP through an original animated lens rather than pursuing direct adaptation.
The stepsister names — Lilith and Margot — are entirely new creations. In Disney’s original 1950 animated film, Cinderella’s stepsisters are named Anastasia and Drizella.
Other versions of the story have used different names, including Clorinda and Tisbe in Gioachino Rossini’s 1817 opera La Cenerentola and Berdena and Serafina in the 1955 film The Glass Slipper.
A Voice Cast and Creative Team Worth Watching
Joining Seyfried in the voice cast are Ali Wong as Lilith and Stephanie Hsu as Margot. The combination of talent across comedy and drama suggests a film aiming for both emotional depth and humor.
Behind the camera, the directorial pairing is equally compelling. Alyce Tzue, a Student Academy Awards gold medal winner, represents a rising talent making the leap to feature direction — a pipeline worth tracking for industry observers. She is joined by John Ripa, known for Raya and the Last Dragon, bringing Disney pedigree to a Netflix production.
Producers on Steps include Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell and Kim Lessing. Poehler’s expanding role as a producer in animation and comedy continues to grow, adding another dimension to her already significant footprint in the entertainment industry.
What the Directors Said About Amanda Seyfried
Both directors spoke to the specifics of what Seyfried brings to the iconic role.
“Amanda has this incredible ability to make her characters specific and relatable, and we absolutely needed that when taking on a character that’s as legendary as Cinderella,” Tzue told Netflix.
“We wanted to create a modern heroine complete with flaws and coping mechanisms, and Amanda immediately understood the task. Her portrayal of Cinderella is hilarious and heartbreaking and, most importantly, refreshingly human,” Tzue added.
Ripa echoed the praise. “Amanda has been an absolute joy to work with,” he said. “She brings a level of experience and passion that inspires us to dig even deeper into the character.”
“Her process of honing in on emotions, the control she has over her voice — it all comes together to give Cinderella a depth and humor we could’ve never imagined,” he added.
For those watching Netflix’s animation strategy unfold, Steps represents a clear creative bet: take a universally known fairy tale, shift the point of view and build something original from familiar bones.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
