The festive season is almost upon us!
Netflix might be gearing up to release a barrage of brand new Christmas movies for viewers, but there’s one in particular that’s on everyone’s mind – The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star, the third instalment of the hit Netflix franchise.
The first film of the franchise, starring High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens, generated a huge buzz when it was released on Netflix back in 2018.
For the romcom, the actress embodied two lookalike characters: baker Stacy and Lady Margaret, the Duchess of Montenaro.
When the pair discovered they look exactly like one another, they decided to to swap lives and, of course, chaos, disaster and romance ensued.
For last year’s The Princess Switch: Switched Again, Hudgens reprised her two roles, as well as juggling the part of Margaret’s nefarious cousin, Fiona.
Now, Hudgens is back for all three roles once again in the third film The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star, which hit Netflix on Thursday 18th November 2021.
Director Mike Rohl recently spoke about how Hudgens required three body doubles to play the three parts.
“During the blockings, Vanessa, me, and a few key crew members would work out all her characters’ actions,” Rohl explained to Newsweek.
“The three doubles would take notes and prepare to repeat all of her moves and mannerisms. We learned the best way to attack the doubling and tripling was to shoot out each character entirely in a scene before moving on to the next one.
“This allowed Vanessa to deal with her workload in small packages that were easier to track and focus on. My job was to support her through discussions related to each character’s goals, arcs and tactics,” he added. “I commend her dedication to taking responsibility for keeping each character distinct and relatable and, above all else, straight in her head.”
Alongside familiar faces, The Princess Switch 3 also introduces us to some new faces, including a new mysterious man.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the film’s cast.
Vanessa Hudgens plays Stacy
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Who is Stacy? Vanessa Hudgens has reprised her role as Stacy, a baker-turned-princess from Chicago. The latest movie sees the now-Princess Stacey and Queen Margaret co-chair an international Christmas celebration featuring a priceless artefact, the Star of Peace. When the artefact is stolen, Stacey takes it upon herself to solve the heist, but what obstacles will they come across during their hunt for the relic?
What else has Vanessa Hudgens been in? Hudgens is best known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical film series. Since then, Hudgens has gone on to star in numerous films including Polar, Beastly and Sucker Punch.
Vanessa Hudgens plays the royal Margaret, Queen of Montenaro
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Who is Queen Margaret? Hudgens is also reprising her role as Queen Margaret, Stacy’s doppelganger, in the Princess Switch 3.
Vanessa Hudgens plays Lady Fiona Pembroke
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Who is Fiona? Hudgens also takes on the role of Margaret’s lookalike cousin, Lady Fiona Pembroke, in the latest Princess Switch. Life-of-the-party Fiona is the only person Stacey and Margaret know with a criminal background, and so they decide to approach her for assistance with solving the crime.
Remy Hii plays Peter Maxwell
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Who is Peter? Fiona enlists her ex-boyfriend, Peter Maxwell – who is an expert in the art of espionage – to help her recover the stolen artefact in The Princess Switch 3. The details of Fiona and Peter’s break-up aren’t really covered, but it soon becomes clear they have unfinished business in the movie.
Talking about why the film stands out from other Christmas movies, Hii recently told Distractify: “Our film, I think, is sort of different from most Christmas movies. Because, for starters, we don’t have just one Vanessa Hudgens. We’ve got three,” he said. “It’s so amazing what they do with those three characters.
“There are not many people in this business who can do what she does,” he added. “I think Fiona resonated with audiences so much because she’s not just like a larger-than-life character, but I think Vanessa just has so much fun playing her.”
What else has Remy Hii been in? Fans will recognise the actor from Crazy Rich Asians as well as Spider-Man: Far from Home. He also stars in the TV series Harrow and was cast as Hudson Walsh in the soap opera Neighbours in 2013.
Sam Palladio plays Prince Edward
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Who is Prince Edward? The Prince of Belgravia fell head over heels for Stacy in the original Princess Switch film while she was posing as Margaret.
What else has Sam Palladio been in? The actor has previously starred in shows including ABC’s Nashville, Humans and Rebel.
Supporting cast
The cast is rounded out by Will Kemp, Susanne Braun, Florence Hall, Theo Devaney, Mia Lloyd and Ricky Norwood.