Have you ever seen a movie with interesting characters, a plot that can effectively combine a love story and a self-discovery journey, with some of the most unforgettable songs you’ve ever heard? If not, then you’ve never seen Tangled and you need to get on that right now.
For those who are familiar with the movie, you might be wondering if there will ever be a live-action movie produced. In recent years, there have been many remakes of classic Disney movies, so it only feels fair that Rapunzel and Eugene are also brought to life. As someone who rewatches Tangled at least once a week to feel something, I believe I have the credentials to give my opinion on which actors are worthy of these roles.
Florence pugh
In every post I’ve seen about casting Rapunzel for a live-action remake, Florence Pugh has been at the top of the list, as she should be. It is undeniable that Pugh and Rapunzel look shockingly similar, with the same eyes, nose, and even face shape. In addition to looks, they also both have a kind, funny, and innocent vibe. Even though she is nine years older than the 18-year-old character, Florence has shown that she can play young roles, as seen in Little Women (2019) when she played 12-year-old Amy March. Miss Flo has gone above and beyond in every role she has been in and absolutely deserves to play a Disney Princess. (Plus, we all know Florence Pugh can rock a short brunette bob like Rapunzel has at the end of the movie.)
Meg Donnelly
Meg Donnelly has both the looks and the talent to play Disney’s optimistic and bright-eyed princess. The 23-year-old singer and actress has shown her skills by starring in Disney’s Zombies movie trilogy and the sitcom American Housewife (2016-2021). In both roles, she showed her bubbly personality and amazing singing voice, which are two important characteristics of Rapunzel. Playing Rapunzel would be her biggest acting feat yet and could be her opportunity to become a big star in the industry. Donnelly certainly has the potential to become a well-known and praised celebrity in the upcoming years, and being in another Disney production will help pave the way for her.
Taylor Zakhar Perez
Since the character was brought to the screen in 2010, Eugene Fitzherbert/Flynn Rider became one of the biggest heartthrobs Disney has ever created. Therefore, the standards for the actor who would play him in a live-action remake would be extremely high. One of the two men I think deserves the honor to play this character is Taylor Zakhar Perez. Although the actor has only been in a few movies like The Kissing Booth series and most recently Red, White, and Royal Blue (2023), he has won the hearts of many with his long eyelashes and witty personality. In these roles, he has proven that he has the sarcasm, hotness, charisma, and even the smirk to play Eugene.
zayn malik
Is he an actor? No. Is there any chance he would leave his life of privacy to be in a huge movie? Also no. Does he have an amazing voice and a beautiful face like Eugene? Yes, he most certainly does! Singer Zayn Malik and former member of One Direction was many girls’ first crush due to his show-stopping singing ability and god-like attractiveness, which was also the case for the fictional Disney character. There are a lot of factors that might interfere with this casting choice (like his very thick British accent or the fact he has no acting experience besides ICarly) but in a perfect world, he would absolutely devour this role.
closing thoughts
There is a lot of debate over Twitter and TikTok over potential casting choices for this movie, but these are just my personal opinions on who should play the main two characters in Tangled. Disney can figure out the rest because I’m not going to do all their work for them. Overall, if this movie does end up being produced, they better find the perfect cast who can live up to the magic of the animated movie because no one wants another Rachel Zegler/Snow White situation.