MOVIE ROYALTY
‘Princess & Frog’s’ Rose guests on ‘Sofia’
DISNEY IS packing more royalty into its pint-sized princess hit, “Sofia the First.”
On Friday, Anika Noni Rose will reprises her regal role as Princess Tiana — Disney’s first black princess, from the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog” — on the Emmywinning animated series. The show, which debu buted in 2012, is Disney Ju Junior’s top se series among k kids ages 2 to
5. It follows a girl (Sofia) who became a princess when her mom married the king of Enchancia. As a vehicle for the lucrative Disney Princess franchise, the series frequently has cameos from the likes of Cinderella, Ariel, Belle and Rapunzel.
Playing a princess has “been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Rose — who auditioned for the role of Tiana in the film three times over four months — told The News.
“I love that Sofia is able to call on other princesses like women call on their girlfriends in times of need, for assistance and support,” added the Tony Award winner, who starred alongside Beyoncé in the movie e “Dreamgirls.”
In the episode airing Friday at 9 a.m. on the Disney Channel, Tiana advises Sofia on the perfect gift to undo a curse from an ice witch and reveals, in song, that she’s cooking up a special meal for her family.
Not coincidently, Rose gets animated in her own kitchen.
“First of all, I love to eat ... I have a little problem with sugar,” she admits. “I’m a ferocious cheesecake maker.”
Rose rolled up her sleeves alongside Mario Batali recently on ABC’s cooking show “The Chew,” helping make a holiday rib roast.
Her character is known for her glitzy tiara, but she says she’s ready to take on grittier roles.
“I just want to run and fly though the air and kick a villain in the back of the neck and take down bad guys,” says Rose. “I’d like to fly, for certain.”
jsettembre@nydailynews.com