You might not recognize her name, but you definitely know her work.
Screenwriter Linda Woolverton, 63, has penned such moderns classics as DisneysBeauty and the BeastandThe Lion King.
(Emma Stone is set to star in the studiosCruellaand Woolverton is currently writing aMaleficentsequel.)
Credit: Michael Boardman/WireImage
All told, Woolvertons movies have grossed $3.2 billion worldwide.
Shell undoubtedly add to that number this week whenAlice Through the Looking Glassopens in theaters.
This one has so many references to the past and the Red Queen, Woolverton tells EW.
Disney
Woolverton was writingThrough the Looking Glasswhile on the set ofMaleficentand admits the themes bled into each other.
Maleficent did the same thing.
She cursed a baby, thats pretty bad, but it was out of revenge.
It was out of pain.
And she was able to come back from it.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Beauty and the Beastwas Disneys first film made from a traditional screenplay versus elaborate storyboards.
And it was also your first feature film.
What was the hardest challenge with writing Belle?
LINDA WOOLVERTON: It was hard.
But they were reflective of the culture.
You thought that the one-note princess thing was a bit tired?
I just didnt think anyone was going to buy it, honestly.
That she was someone who suffers in silence and only wants a pure rose?
That she takes all this abuse but is still good at heart?
I had a hard time with that.
Youve said that your model for the character was Katharine Hepburn inLittle Women.
That was a real depiction of womanhood.
Actually I need to acknowledge [lyricist] Howard Ashman him and I really conjured up Belle together.
Were you satisfied with how it turned out?
I mean, you might only move the needle so much.
She loves to read and to explore the outdoors.
But even so, every day was a battle of making it happen.
Every single line of her dialogue was a battle.
And in some ways its taken until now for people to realize that Belle was something of a first.
