Grab your tux, dress, tiara or all of the above, it’s time to go to the prom. The Broadway musical-turned film is about a prom that gets canceled after a lesbian student wants to take her girlfriend as her date. Four Broadway stars faced with losing the spotlight decide to head to Indiana to teach a local town a lesson.
The stacked cast includes Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Ariana DeBose and introducing Jo Ellen Pellman.
"I remember seeing 'The Prom' with my mom long before I even knew 'The Prom' was going to be a movie, or I even had an audition. And I just remember thinking, 'This is the reason like why I do this, so that maybe someday I can be a part of a piece that’s this incredible,'" said Pellman.
Kerry Washington plays the PTA mom who cancels the dance, while grappling with accepting her own daughter’s sexuality.
"As somebody who does not identify with conservative values, I thought this was a really good opportunity for me to step into the shoes of a different person with a different belief system and try to have some empathy and compassion. And I would get to sing a little bit? Yes! I’m in," exclaimed Washington.
The film, directed and produced by Ryan Murphy, was a very personal project.
"Part of the movie is set in Indiana, where I’m from, and the idea of not being able to go to the prom with the person of your choice is something I experienced in high school so I just had a personal relationship to it," said Murphy.
And you might also recognize another familiar face in the cast: On Stage Host Frank DiLella has a cameo, interviewing Meryl Streep on the red carpet.
The stars shared what they hoped people would take away from the film.
"This struggle that Emma and Alyssa are going through in this film, is very, very real for lots of lots of people and its really, really important to let them know that they’re not on their own," said Corden.
"I actually think everybody is going to look at this very individually, you know, and take away from it something from their own experience," said Streep.
"This is not just an American story. This is not just an Indiana story. This is a global story and the fact that people across the globe will be able to experience it I think is absolutely wonderful," said Keegan-Michael Key.