Whereas most keep in mind her because the fashion-obsessed heiress London Tipton from “The Suite Lifetime of Zack & Cody,” the actress not too long ago revealed that her transition from youngster star to severe actor wasn’t as easy because it appeared.
In line with Brenda Tune, Disney tried to cease her from taking up extra mature roles in movies like “Gran Torino” and “The Social Community.”
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Brenda Tune Says Disney Tried To Block Her From ‘Gran Torino’ And ‘The Social Community’
She mentioned she had initially been thought-about for a task in “Gran Torino,” however Disney nixed it because of an meant sexual assault scene within the script. “And I used to be very upset however I used to be like, ‘Okay, I assume it didn’t work out,’” she recalled.
An analogous scenario got here up when Tune wished to audition for David Fincher’s “The Social Community.” On the time, she was nonetheless on “Suite Life,” and considerations over mature content material as soon as once more threatened to derail the chance. This time, nonetheless, she took issues into her personal arms.
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“I went on to Gary Marsh, the president and COO for Disney-branded tv on the time,” she defined. “I mentioned, ‘I’m an actor. Whenever you employed me, I used to be not a resort heiress. If I’ve ever executed something in my private life to ever draw unhealthy consideration to your organization, I perceive. However that is the final season of the present, and that is the chance of a lifetime.’”
Her plea labored. Disney allowed her to do the movie, which Tune says, “really modified my life.”
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Miley Cyrus Says Disney Banned Her From Singing ‘Hannah Montana’ Songs
It’s a narrative that mirrors latest revelations from fellow Disney alum Miley Cyrus, who mentioned on Spotify’s “The Ringer” podcast that she “wasn’t allowed” to carry out songs from “Hannah Montana” after leaving the community in 2011.
“It was nonetheless unhappy understanding these songs have my voice, my face, and I wasn’t allowed to sing them,” Cyrus shared.
She was solely granted permission to carry out them once more after being named a Disney Legend at D23 in 2024.
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Tune Says Followers Nonetheless Quote Her Iconic ‘PRNDL’ Line From ‘Suite Life’
Like Cyrus, Tune discovered her breakout second on Disney. However she’s labored arduous to evolve past her early roles. Her portrayal of London Tipton not solely helped outline Disney Channel within the 2000s however left an enduring influence.
One specific second, the place her character hilariously mispronounces the automobile gear shift abbreviation PRNDL as “The Prindle,” continues to comply with her.
“It’s all the time the PRNDL and it’s stunning,” Tune laughed throughout the panel. “Folks will all the time be like, ‘You taught me the PRNDL’ or ‘I nonetheless use the PRNDL.’”
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The Iconic ‘Suite Life’ Portrait
The actress additionally confessed to maintaining souvenirs from her time on “Suite Life,” together with the pink outfit from the present’s pilot and a large portrait of London and her canine Ivana that after hung in her TV suite. It now lives within the house Tune shares with longtime companion Macaulay Culkin and their kids.
“I’m afraid to let anybody know the place it’s although, as a result of understanding a sure someone, they’d hold it up in our home and I’d be mortified,” she joked.
Brenda Tune Mentioned ‘Being An Asian-American Actress In Hollywood’ Was ‘Difficult’
Tune credit a lot of her early inspiration to trailblazers like Ming-Na Wen, Michelle Yeoh, and Lucy Liu, who have been among the many few Asian-American actors she noticed on display rising up.
“That was the difficult factor rising up, being an Asian-American actress in Hollywood,” Tune mentioned. “Like for those who weren’t Jackie Chan or Jet Li, I’m not an Asian man, it was actually arduous.”
Tune shared that Wen, specifically, had a significant influence on her. They labored collectively when Tune was simply eight years previous, and she or he remembers Wen being “so encouraging, so sort, and simply so supportive.”
She additionally fondly remembered working with “Evening Court docket” actor Richard Moll on the Nickelodeon sequence “100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd,” describing him as light and welcoming throughout her first long-term undertaking.
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Although she’s not too long ago labored alongside Pamela Anderson and Kate Hudson and even been directed by Fincher himself, Tune continues to be humbled by her Disney roots. But it surely’s her persistence, not her previous, that continues to outline her.
“I’m so lucky,” she mentioned. “However none of it got here straightforward. It’s important to battle for the roles you may play.”
