While these “Cinderellas” aren’t fairy tale princesses, they are enough to attract the interest of audiences.
Cinderella stories, which tell the tale of poor and kind-hearted female leads who find their own happiness, have always been a favorite trope of viewers. While originally a princess story, “Cinderella” has since been re-interpreted by many dramas and movies in many different forms, leading to various different images and unique plots that still win over the audience.
Below are some of the most iconic “Cinderella” in these re-interpretations:
Seo Woo (Cinderella’s Sister)
Instead of focusing on the “Cinderella” Hyo Sun (Seo Woo), “Cinderella’s Sister” focuses on Hyo Sun’s step-sister, Eun Jo (Moon Geun Young). However, despite being a supporting character, Hyo Sun became a memorable presence with her doll-like visuals, as well as the excellent acting skills of actress Seo Woo.
Princess-like and a hopeless romantic, Hyo Sun is far from being a perfectly nice character. However, there’s no such thing as a clear definition between good and bad, and Hyo Sun is not the only one craving happiness. In the end, “Cinderella’s Sister” received resounding successes, having swept through award ceremonies back in 2010.
Selena Gomez (Another Cinderella Story)
After the success of “Wizard of Waverly Place”, Selena Gomez has made a grand appearance in the cinematic project “Another Cinderella Story”. Like its title, the series is indeed another Cinderella story. Here, Selena Gomez transforms into Mary Santiago, a poor girl who has a knack for musicals. She is eventually selected to play Cinderella in a school play, starring alongside the “school prince” and famous star Joey Parker. While they were dancing together, Mary had to go home to complete an unfinished business, leaving a confused Joey behind.
As a modernized version of Cinderella, a lot has been changed, such as instead of dropping her glass shoes, Mary forgot her… MP3 instead and left Joey behind. At the time, Selena Gomez was a top Disney star, so her naive and kind image was well-loved.
Ranida Techasit (Sanae Rak Nang Cin)
Released in 2018, the Thai movie “Sanae Rak Nang Cin” easily attracted audiences with its “modern princess” story. In this movie, the orphaned girl Prim dreamed of becoming a shoe designer, but her harsh life makes it hard to pursue such a passion. While working at a leading shoe factory, Prim was fired because of a sudden incident. She ended up going to Phuket for a vacation with her friend and pretending to live the life of rich people. Here, Prim ran into Phuree – the heir of her old employer.
Still the familiar rich guy-poor girl trope, yet “Sanae Rak Nang Cin” manages to draw attention for its interesting plot as well as gorgeous and talented cast members, especially with the female lead Ranida Techasit being hailed as a visual queen. The story would also grow more and more exciting in the later half, before concluding with a satisfying happy ending.
Hilary Duff (A Cinderella Story)
Before Selena Gomez, Disney once nailed a hit with “A Cinderella Story”, which starred Hillary Duff. The movie basically prompted other Cinderella versions, and is perhaps the most successful rendition to date.
In “A Cinderella Story”, Hilary Duff assumed the role of Sam – a young woman who works at the diner of her “evil stepmother”. Since she’s always tormented and bothered by the stepmother, Sam talked to strangers online to release her stress, and eventually grew close to a guy with the nickname “Nomad”. As it turns out, “Nomad” is Austin – the “prince charming” of her school, leading to a fairy-tale life end result.
The movie, while simple, received resounding results, earning 70 million USD worldwide and helping to boost Hilary Duff’s name to a whole new level.
Park So Dam (Cinderella and Four Knights)
Nicknamed as the “Boys Over Flowers of the 2010s”, “Cinderella and Four Knights” bears barely any resemblances to the original fairy tale. The only similarity would be the female lead, Eun Ha Won, leading an extremely difficult life and almost had to give up on her dream. However, when she’s invited to a mansion to “re-educate” the young masters there, Ha Won’s life turns into a new page.
Played by Park So Dam, Ha Won is truly a “daily life princess” with her kindness and care towards everyone else. Still, she’s strong, smart, and resilient, and brightens up the scene whenever she appears, making for a well-written character. Unfortunately, as “Cinderella and Four Knights” was released in 2016 and faced too many strong opponents, it did not end up becoming a big hit.
Source: K14
