Before Taking a Decade Hiatus From Acting, Cameron Diaz’s Last Role Was in This Iconic Movie Musical With Jamie Foxx

Cameron Diaz Gives Miss Hannigan Depth in ‘Annie’

Miss Hannigan is one of the most iconic villains in theater; her caricatural evil is the perfect contrast to the sweet naivety of the children in her care. However, her usual motivations are foggy, and her bitterness feels viciously unwarranted. Cameron Diaz' modern version of Miss Hannigan loses this aspect, which makes the character more palatable. Gone is the archaic orphanage with old-fashioned wooden furniture. In its place, a high-rise flat that feels much more insular and contemporary. This change in exterior reflects the change to Miss Hannigan's character—she is still a matriarch to the girls, but her interactions with them feel less malicious and nasty.

Diaz’s line delivery is sharp and more sarcastic in tone, which feels much more playful rather than previous iterations that feel cruel and resentful. There is this unspoken mutual understanding that both Miss Hannigan and the girls are trapped. This foreshadows her character growth in the 2014 remake; Diaz shows that Miss Hannigan doesn’t hold a grudge against the girls individually; it is just life that she has become disassociated with. Therefore, it is through Diaz's performance that her change of heart is believable, something that would never have been achievable in previous adaptations of the story. Diaz brings Miss Hannigan into the 21st century—there is still a fierce lack of sympathy, but she feels more multifaceted and human.

“Little Girls” Is the Highlight of Cameron Diaz’s Miss Hannigan

The biggest change in Miss Hannigan comes in the musical performances, since she has a new backstory that she was once a singer, and her drinking appears as a coping mechanism as she laments her former performance days. This is evidenced in the musical numbers, where Miss Hannigan is more stylized and choreographed. Her big solo, “Little Girls," is lyrically altered to show this deviation from the original. Rather than describing her hatred for the girls, the focus is on her desire to escape and perform, denouncing that she’s “ready for stardom after all these years."

Diaz’s vocal tone when singing is rounded and clean compared to the 1982 movie, where Carol Burnett’s Miss Hannigan vocal style is spoken and evokes her repulsion. Additionally, Diaz glides around the set, interacting as though she is in a music video, exaggeratedly falling to her knees and reaching for the sky. Similarly, “Easy Street” has been changed into a much more glamorized dance number as Diaz is guided round the floor by political advisor Guy Danlily (Bobby Cannavale). He convinces her of his plan to get Annie back through the allure of performance, as that is the crux of her personal motivation and drive.

Diaz’s Miss Hannigan is not devoid of joy, and this allows her to have a lot of fun with the role and become the comic relief of the movie. The audience laughs with her, as she is not so villainous that the humor comes from her hatred, but instead comes from her personality. In the sequence where Miss Hannigan is interviewing potential candidates to play Annie’s parents, Diaz evidences this fresh comedic flair she brings to the role. She shows genuine joy as she directs the auditionees, miming along to their singing. It strengthens Hannigan’s backstory and shows, at her core, she isn’t a bad person at all. Diaz is easily the funniest and best part of Annie, bringing something new to a tired character and single handily making the remake worthwhile.

Annie is available to buy or rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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