Streep, Kendrick, Blunt & More Talk INTO THE WOODS at NY Premiere

The highly anticipated film INTO THE WOODS had its premiere last night, December 8th at New York's City's Ziegfeld Theatre. The Hollywood Reporter was on hand to interview the star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick.

Kendrick shared with the site that her take on Cinderella must deal with problems faced by many adults. "The dilemma she has is a very modern one - especially as women, there are lots of situations where we're telling ourselves we should be happy with what we have, and our gut is telling us we should fight for something that's authentic instead of settling for the thing that other people say should make you happy."

Soon-to-be late night host James Corden spoke about the importance of his character The Baker and his wife, played by Emily Blunt. "We're very much the audience's eyes and ears," he explained. "if they don't believe in us, that these two are really together, trying for a baby and doing this, the whole thing kind of goes for nothing."

Offered young actress Lilla Crawford, who takes on the iconic Little Red Riding Hood, "It's all about growing up and becoming an adult, leaving your childhood behind." Added Daniel Huttlestone of his role as Jack and the Beanstalk, "In life, sometimes it goes right and sometimes it doesn't, but you've gotta have the down side as well."

Meryl Streep shared her own take on the latest incarnation of the classic Sondheim musical. "You know what I really didn't like? When I was a little girl, I wore glasses, and I didn't feel pretty, and all the princesses were always really pretty, and I identified with the ugly stepsisters," she told reporters of the Cinderella villains. Yet in Into the Woods, "they're not ugly, and that's what I like! They're bitchy and they're really pretty!"

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INTO THE WOODS, hitting theaters on December 25th, is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests.

This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) - all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them. Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award-winning musical "Chicago" and Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: OnStranger Tides," helms the film, which is based on the Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics.