You can watch Lady and the Tramp, streaming exclusively on Disney+, starting on November 12, 2019.
©Disney
Thomas Mann started acting when he was 17 years old, and proceeded to spend the next decade playing teenage characters. What’s different about playing the role of Jim Dear in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp remake? “I’m a grown-up!”
“I’m transitioning out and playing someone’s son, or this college student or that high school student,” says Mann. “Now I’m playing a father… I feel like I’m making a lot of progress in my own career.”
Lady and the Tramp takes place in the early 1900s, and that was also a new experience for Mann. “You put on these clothes, and you step on [the] sets, and half the work is done for you. It’s been so much fun!”
©Disney
Another new experience for Mann? Working with a cast of canine stars. “I love Rose, who’s playing Lady… And then Tramp, Monte’s his real name, is the sweetest dog.” The cast was able to spend a lot of time playing with the dogs and working with the trainers so that everyone was comfortable when cameras were rolling. “It takes a little more patience sometimes,” according to Mann, “[but] it’s totally worth it when everything works together.”
When it comes to his favorite part of the film, Mann loves the opening scene. “A beautiful, snowy village with all the steeples and the twinkly lights. And then it zooms into the one house, and you go inside the house, and it’s Christmas. That’s the feeling that I associate with Lady and the Tramp.” And yes, he knows that wasn’t the expected answer. “Bet you thought I was gonna say the meatball scene!”
About The Lady And The Tramp Remake
In Disney+’s “Lady and the Tramp,” a timeless re-telling of the 1955 animated classic, a pampered house dog and a tough but lovable stray embark on an unexpected adventure and, despite their differences, grow closer and come to understand the value of home. Life is good for Lady, an overachieving American Cocker Spaniel who resides in an upscale suburban neighborhood. Her owners, Jim Dear and Darling, spoil her daily and her neighbors, Jock, an outspoken Scottish Terrier and Trusty, a world-weary Bloodhound, are always within barking distance. But when a baby enters the picture, Lady is no longer the center of attention, and the arrival of catloving Aunt Sarah only complicates matters. Lady soon finds herself alone on the streets in an unwelcoming part of town. Fortunately, Tramp steps in, and the streetwise mongrel is quick to teach her the ways of the world. Before long, the prim and proper pure bred and the fast-talking mutt are partaking in moonlight strolls in the park and romantic spaghetti dinners by candlelight. Tramp savors the independence of a world without leashes or fences alongside his roguish friends Peg and Bull, but Lady misses the comfort and safety of a family, and soon both must decide where – and with whom – they belong. A heartwarming romantic adventure that seamlessly combines live action and photorealistic animation, “Lady and the Tramp” stars: Tessa Thompson as the voice of Lady and Justin Theroux as the voice of Tramp; Kiersey Clemons as Darling; Thomas Mann as Jim Dear; Janelle Monáe as the voice of Peg; Yvette Nicole Brown as Aunt Sarah; and Sam Elliott as the voice of Trusty. The film is directed by Charlie Bean from a screenplay by Andrew Bujalski and Kari Granlund, and is produced by Brigham Taylor with Diane L. Sabatini serving as executive producer.
“Lady and the Tramp” premieres on November 12, 2019, streaming only on Disney+.