The Actress Behind Tiana From The Princess And The Frog Is Gorgeous In Real Life
Voice actors have the monumental task of personifying a character solely using the sound of their voice. Unlike in live-action roles, voice actors do not have the advantage of makeup and hair stylists to embody their characters, and they typically look vastly different from their animated counterparts. While you wouldn't necessarily expect characters to be modeled after their voice actors, some bear an uncanny resemblance.
Disney in particular has a tendency to shape their animated characters after their voice actors. Just look at Dwayne Johnson's equally buff and tatted Maui in "Moana" for example. Disney even went so far as to redesign Hades in "Hercules" to better match James Woods' snarky style of speaking when the original voice actor, Jack Nicholson, dropped out (per CBR). So when Disney is in search of actresses to bring their classic princesses to life, they seemingly factor in appearance in addition to vocal talent. At least that appears to be the case with the beautiful Anika Noni Rose, the voice behind Tiana in "Princess and the Frog."
Anika Noni Rose is just as beautiful and musically talented as Tiana
Disney's 2009 animated film "Princess and the Frog" shows just how much Disney may model their characters after their voice actors. In the film, Anika Noni Rose voices Tiana, a waitress with dreams of opening up her own restaurant who gets caught up in a voodoo curse after she kisses a prince-turned-frog.
Before "Princess and the Frog," Rose showed off her incredible singing voice in "Dreamgirls" and in Broadway's production of "Caroline, or Change," which earned her a Tony award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (via Playbill). She went on to star in films such as "For Colored Girls," and "Everything, Everything" and most recently starred in the hit Netflix series "Maid" (per IMDb).
Her time as Tiana proves to be a more enduring role for her as she has lent her voice for several other Disney projects featuring the character. In an interview with People, Rose recounted her feelings towards playing the first Black Disney princess. She said, "It is an amazing legacy to have been the first. I feel like because of how much people still love Tiana, people's minds were opened towards other things."
It doesn't look like Rose will be putting down her Disney tiara anytime soon, though. Per the actor's Instagram, she will be reprising her role as the Disney princess in the upcoming Disney+ series, "Tiana," set to release sometime in 2023.