Character page for the 2021 film Cruella.
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Cruella and Her Circle
Estella/Cruella
Estella Miller/Cruella de Vil
Played By: Emma Stone, Tipper Seifert-Cleveland (age 12), Billie Gadsdon (age 5)
"The thing is, I was born brilliant, born bad, and a little bit mad. I'm Cruella."
A rebellious young woman with a mean streak her mother dubbed "Cruella". After the death of her mother, Estella falls in with Jasper and Horace and becomes a grifter, but her dreams of becoming a fashion designer come to fruition when she is noticed by the famous Baroness von Hellman.
- Action Fashionista: Cruella is an extremely competent and fashionable thief. She is shown taking on the Baroness's security in close-quarters combat ("in heels").
- Adaptational Attractiveness: In the original animated movie, Cruella was gaunt to the point of looking borderline skeletal. Here, she's played by the beautiful and much healthier-looking Emma Stone. Ironically, this makes this film Truer to the Text of the novel the original movie was based on, where Cruella was conventionally attractive.
- Adaptational Heroism: This Cruella is much nicer than her animated counterpart as, aside from her little villainous twitches, is played as a sympathetic person, is genuinely affable, and the only person she actively attacks is the Baroness, who is a Hate Sink. More importantly, she doesn't try to skin the puppies, instead choosing to adopt them.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Ironically in spite of the above, the movie version of Cruella/Estella receives this from a manga Interquel, which sees her act quite rudely to Jasper and Horace years even before she takes on the Cruella persona.
- Adaptational Name Change: "Cruella DeVil" is not the character's real name in this continuity, just a moniker that she embraces. Her birth name is Estella Von Hellman.
- Adaptational Nice Girl: Cruella ends up not having a murderous hatred of Dalmatians in this continuity and instead raises her mother's pets as her own. This is in spite of the Baroness using them to kill her adoptive mother. She even gives two offspring of her pets to Roger and Anita. (That being said, she briefly muses about the idea of making a Dalmatian fur coat, but passes it off as a joke.)
- Adaptational Sympathy: All previous incarnations of Cruella de Vil are simply insane, evil fashionistas who simply want to skin dalmatian puppies to make fur coats and are outright despicable. In the film, Cruella has a legitimate Freudian Excuse for kidnapping Dalmatians: it's part of her vendetta against her birth mother Baroness von Hellman, who ordered them to kill her real mother. Furthermore, she doesn't skin the Dalmatians and gives their puppies to Roger and Anita.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the animated movie, Jasper and Horace just act as their henchmen - here, they are Estelle's ersatz family and the three grew up together.
- Alcohol-Induced Stupidity: Frustrated with being stuck in a cleaner job, Estella sneaks liquor from her boss's cabinet and gets so drunk that she fixes up the display dress during her night shift. This caught the attention of the Baroness and she gave Estella a chance to work for her, setting the plot in motion.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Everyone except Jasper and Horace treats Estella's naturally black and white hair as if it were some unfortunate deformity. That and leading a life of thievery early on leads her to dye it red so she'll be less conspicuous.
- Anti-Hero: Cruella is self-centered, callous, manipulative, and proud, but she cares for her friends and draws the line at killing anyone.
- Becoming the Mask: "Cruella" was a nickname Estella's mother used to describe her personality when she misbehaved as a child. As an adult, Estella adopts the name as she gives in to her misbehavior to get revenge on the Baroness and becomes her for real at the end of the film.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The narrator Cruella openly admits herself of being evil and psychotic. She also referred to herself as "mad" at the last fountain scene, fully embracing her identity as a fashion-obsessed madwoman.
- Clark Kenting: Estella is able to hide her identity as Cruella by wearing a red wig over her natural black and white hair. In her Cruella persona, she only needs a domino mask to prevent others, including her own boss, from recognising her face. It works on everyone except Anita.
- Distinguishing Mark: Estella's trademark black and white hair. It's how John recognises her as the Baroness's daughter.
- Drives Like Crazy: As usual, she actually acknowledges this time that she's never had driving lessons.
- Dye or Die: The 12-year-old Estella decides to dye her distinctive black and white hair one colour to make it easier for her to live as a runaway in London.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Invoked. Estella uses pale makeup for Cruella, which stands out against her half-black hair and black-and-white outfits and makes her look much more sinister.
- Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas: Cruella genuinely loved her adoptive mother Catherine.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Cruella is certainly no saint, she's still shocked and horrified when she realizes just how malevolent the Baroness really is.
- Faking the Dead: Two subversions. She fakes her death as Cruella merely by taking advantage of her death being reported after she survived a murder attempt so she can lie low and plot, and stages her death once as Estella to expose the Baroness as a murderer, an event Cruella decides to treat as the actual death of her Estella identity, forever abandoning it to live as Cruella.
- In the Blood: She's a very talented fashionista, as her mother is eventually revealed to have been. Specifically, her biological mother, the Baroness.
- In the Hood: Cruella arrives at a party wearing a long, hooded, white cloak that covers her head. She pairs it with a black lace masquerade mask. She later burns it, revealing a dress underneath as part of a big entrance and debut of her Cruella persona to the Baroness.
- It's All About Me: Cruella is very self-centered, which is somewhat understandable given that she and the guys had to fend for themselves since they were children; for a lot of her life, she's had to focus primarily on surviving. However, she still cares very much for Horace and Jasper; when she begins to disregard them and treat them badly in the name of her revenge, it's a sign she's changing for the worse. Though Estella eventually notes she's becoming too much like the Baroness in her pursuit to humiliate her and makes amends with the two. By the film's end, she manages to split the difference. Keeping her the assertiveness of Cruella but the love for her adoptive family.
- It's All My Fault: Cruella spends the beginning of the movie blaming herself for her mother's death, as it was her apparently aggravating the Baroness's Dalmatians that led them to the cliff. She gets over it once she realizes the Baroness actually used a dog whistle to summon the dogs.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's a bit rough around the edges and early in her days as Cruella, doesn't initially seem grateful to Jasper and Horace, but she's really not a bad person and genuinely loves them.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: At the black-and-white ball, Cruella casually knocks out several of the Baroness' guards as they try to apprehend her, making a point to tell the crowd that she's doing this in high heels.
- Line-of-Sight Name: Jasper points out that a car that Cruella hijacked is a Coupé De Ville. She takes a liking to that last part...
- Oblivious Adoption: She had no clue Catherine wasn't her biological mother until John broke the truth to her. While she's understandably shocked and upset to realise she's related to the Baroness, she forgives a long-dead Catherine for the lie rather quickly and promises that she'll always be her true mother.
- Pet the Dog: After gaining her successful revenge on the Baroness, rather than killing the Baroness's Dalmatians, Cruella adopts them, as she is fully aware that the Baroness forced the dogs to kill Catherine in the first place. She even arranged for two Dalmatian puppies to be adopted by Anita and Roger, all just to thank Anita for helping out with the Baroness's arrest and to apologize to Roger for getting him fired from his job as the Baroness's lawyer.
- Posthumous Narration: Subverted. She mentions in the beginning that her adoptive mom's heirloom got her killed, but it's revealed that, while it was essential to faking her death, she's still alive and well.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: After the Baroness sets up a guaranteed murder for Cruella, she tips off the media about her death ahead of time. John saves Cruella, however, allowing her to plot revenge while the world thinks she's dead, and reveal herself as still alive later on.
- Self-Made Orphan: She initially believes herself to be this, having caused the accident which resulted in her mother's death. In fact, it was no accident, as the Baroness actually used a dog whistle to purposely set her Dalmatians on her. Furthermore, the Baroness is Cruella's real mother and the woman she thought was her mother, Catherine, had adopted her.
- Split-Personality Takeover: Downplayed in that Cruella is a persona rather than a true split personality, but she herself seems to treat her sidelining and eventual termination of her Estella identity as this. Jasper and Horace even discuss how they preferred Estella, and it takes some time for them to come around to Cruella.
- Talking to the Dead: Estella sometimes sits in front of the fountain where she slept the night her mother died, and talks to her mum about how she's doing.
- That Man Is Dead: At the end, Cruella holds a funeral for Estella, referring to her as having died with her mother before moving on.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Played With. After it's revealed that the Baroness is her real mother. Cruella has a bit of a Heroic BSoD and rides back to London to collect her thoughts. She eventually comes to the conclusion Catherine tried to raise her so she wouldn't turn out like her mother, but Cruella ultimately states that she can't deny who she really is and must be true to herself. Though she does genuinely state she loves Catherine and what she tried to do for her and will always consider her to be her true mother.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Estella does this after she hatches her plan to get revenge on the Baroness for having killed her mother.
- Villain Protagonist: Cruella is introduced with an intense mean streak even in her childhood, and the film focuses on her descent into madness and villainy as she fights her way to the top of the fashion industry, while also frequently hinting at what she'll go on to do in 101 Dalmatians.
- Your Makeup Is Running: In the last water fountain scene, Cruella's eyeshadow and eyeliner are smudged all around her eyes.
Jasper and Horace
Jasper and Horace
Jasper (left) and Horace (right)
Jasper Played By: Joel Fry, Ziggy Gardner (age 12)
Horace Played By: Paul Walter Hauser, Joseph MacDonald (age 12)
Jasper: No. Not Estella, that's easy, but to help Cruella, it's a nightmare.
Horace: And there's that understatement thing you do.
Horace: And there's that understatement thing you do.
A pair of petty thieves. They are Cruella's surrogate brothers and partners-in-crime, who took her in following her mother's death.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Jasper and Horace in the animated film were middle-aged men with balding hair and large noses. Here, they're much younger and not nearly as exaggerated-looking, and Jasper in particular is played by the handsome Joel Fry.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Jasper is significantly more intelligent than he is in other versions, being able to deduce by Estella's behavior that she has no family and showing a great grasp of technology during a few of the crew's heists.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: While still crooks, Jasper and Horace are much more likable this time around. Jasper in particular is shown to deeply care for Estella, almost as if he's in love with her, and is genuinely horrified when she jokes about killing dogs to make coats (the previous versions of the character showed no qualms in harming animals).
- Didn't Think This Through: They came up with detailed fake references and experiences for Estella's resume for the Liberty store application. Neither Horace nor Jasper thought of checking the job description: a cleaner's job.
- Disguised in Drag: Horace sneaks into the Baroness's charity gala dressed as one of the female guests: all of whom are dressed as Cruella. He doesn't even bother to shave first.
- Establishing Character Moment: They are introduced as petty thieves. Horace is more brusque, telling Estella to go back to her family, while Jasper is insightful enough to realize that Estella doesn't have any family. True enough, Jasper is the more consistently empathetic and intelligent of the two.
- Everyone Has Standards: Jasper will happily steal from/rip people off, but he's visibly horrified when Cruella muses about making coats out of the Baroness's Dalmatians and doesn't seem convinced when she tells him that she was joking.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Horace isn't exactly evil in this film, but he has trouble comprehending that not everything the group does, like Estella getting a job so she can pursue her fashion dreams, has to be part of some scheme or heist.
- Fat and Skinny: Horace is fat while Jasper is skinny.
- Not Now, We're Too Busy Crying Over You: Exaggerated; Horace cries at Estella's funeral even though he's attending it with her.
- Race Lift: Jasper is white in all previous media but is played by visibly mixed-race actors here.
Anita
Anita Darling
Played By: Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Florisa Kamara (age 12)
"Well, I'm starting to remember that you have a bit of an extreme side."
Cruella's school friend who grows up to write for a magazine.
- Affectionate Nickname: Of a sort. Cruella makes a pun on her full name, greeting her with, "Anita Darling, my darling!"
- The Dog Bites Back: Downplayed as she was already friends with Cruella, but she probably wouldn't have been quite as willing to help utterly upstage the Baroness if she hadn't been so rude to her earlier.
- Full-Name Basis: Her surname literally being Darling in this movie means that Cruella calls her by her full name in lieu of a nickname.
- Named by the Adaptation: Anita's maiden name was never revealed in the book or animated film (though the first live-action movie gives her the surname "Cambell-Green"). In this version, her last name is Darling, meaning that Cruella's "Anita, darling!" line is now in reference to the character's full name.
- Race Lift: Anita is white in all previous media but black here.
- Secret-Keeper: Despite not being an official part of Cruella's gang, Anita is aware Cruella and Estella are one and the same.
- Tagalong Reporter: Cruella enlists Anita to drum up positive press for her at the Baroness's expense. Anita is all too happy to be at the forefront of this sensationalist development.
Artie
Artie
Played By: John McCrea
"But I like to say that normal is the cruelest insult of them all, and at least I never get that."
A fashionable man who owns a vintage clothing store.
- Camp Gay: Artie is a swishy, fashionable, glamorous young man. He was identified as being gay
extratextually. - The Fashionista: Loves dressing up and runs a clothing shop in London. Estella immediately guesses they'll get along just fine because of their shared interests.
- Informed Attribute: Despite Artie being hyped as Disney's "first gay character", he's never shown in any kind of gay activity beyond his campy mannerisms. And even those could just as easily be attributed to stereotypes about his profession.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: He has no problem wearing makeup and jewelry.
- It Amused Me: His reasons for joining the crew? Cruella wanted his help making some of the best clothes in London and promised him a roaring good time while doing it. Despite having no personal grudge against the Baroness, he's fully on board for causing some trouble.
Catherine
Catherine Miller
Played By: Emily Beecham
"Your name is 'Estella', not 'Cruella'!"
Estella's loving and kindhearted mother. She unfortunately passes away when Estella is only a little girl, setting her on the path to becoming Cruella.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Estella has nothing but fond memories of the woman, so naturally, she's dead before the first act is over. After she learns the truth of her parentage, Cruella doesn't hold it against her that she kept her adoption from her, and tearfully apologizes for not being able to be the sweet and kind daughter she deserved, but affirming that Catherine will always be her mother and she'll always love her.
- Good Parent: In the opening, she's seen raising Estella with affection and care, trying to discipline her while also standing up for her when she's being mistreated, and not getting angry with her when her expulsion forces them to move.
- Morality Pet: Even at her lowest moment, Cruella never forgets Catherine's love for her, and her entire revenge quest is in her honor. (Whether or not Catherine would've wanted said revenge quest to happen is a whole other matter...)
- Nice Girl: The thing Estella remembers and treasures most about her is her goodness, and John describes her as the kindest woman he ever knew. Given that she selflessly took in an infant and raised her as her own, she's earned the reputation.
- Not the First Victim: It turns out she's likely not the Baroness's first, and definitely not the only, murder victim.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Her death is what forces Estella to become an urchin with Jasper and Horace, and consequentially, what leads to her meeting the Baroness.
The Baroness and Associates
The Baroness
Baroness von Hellman
Played By: Emma Thompson
"You can't care about anyone else. Everyone else is an obstacle."
A famous London-based fashion designer who hires Estella upon noticing her talent.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: She's a titled baroness and is the nigh-sociopathic antagonist.
- Big Bad: As Cruella's cold-blooded nemesis, The Baroness serves as the main villain of the film.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Cruella accuses the Baroness of killing her mother, the Baroness replies that she'll have to be more specific.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The Baroness doesn't deny it when Cruella calls her a psycho.
- Create Your Own Villain: Had she not killed Catherine, she and Estella would've left and never bothered her again. Instead, she forced little Estella into a life of crime and practically handed her a gift-wrapped motivation for ruining her life. Turns out to be a literal example, since she's Estella's biological mother. She could've saved herself a lot of trouble had she simply arranged for her to be quietly adopted in a legal manner, and probably would've been able to keep the adoptive family from ever knowing who their baby's mother was. Instead, she tried to have the baby killed, which prompted John to pass her off to Catherine in secret since it was an absolute emergency, which in turn set the plot in motion.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: After realising Cruella is actually her daughter, the Baroness callously questions why John was unable to kill the girl as a newborn and is equally perplexed why Catherine would choose to raise her. Additionally, in the former case, despite being prone to quickly get upset at or punish (or worse) others for not doing what she wants, she doesn't do any of that to John and accepts his answer that he misunderstood the level of her ruthlessness instead of possibly being hesitant to follow that order.
- Everyone Calls Her "Barkeep": Everyone from the media to her employees to the woman trying to take her down only ever call her "the Baroness".
- Evil Is Petty: Tries to have her own child killed just so she doesn't have to raise her, has a former servant killed for bothering her by asking for money, and tries to burn a fashion rival to death for upstaging her.
- Foil: Serves as one to her rival Cruella. The Baroness is an older, wealthier fashion kingpin who runs a successful brand, releases traditional (yet highly successful) products, and treats her employees like utter garbage. Meanwhile, Cruella is a young (and initially unknown) designer who runs a small label from a scrappy hideout, dishes out flamboyant, avant-garde dresses to the public, and treats her team members with genuine respect. And the people who play them are both called Emma.
- Glad I Thought of It: The Baroness's entire business model is demanding a team of designers make new dresses from scratch and then praising herself for assessing their worth as she takes credit under her label.
- Hate Sink: She lacks any likable or redeeming traits, and is made to be much worse than Cruella even in her most villainous depictions.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: Pushing Cruella off a cliff turns out to be her downfall as Cruella expects this to happen and has her friends gather all of the guests from the Baroness's party to witness the pushing.
- How They Treat The Help: Unsurprisingly, she is outright abusive towards her employees. She's also dismissive and rude towards Anita despite the fact that, seeing as she's a journalist covering the Baroness's events, she really should want to remain on her good side.
- In the Blood: She lampshades this when after realizing that Cruella/Estella is the infant she birthed and gave to John to kill right after. She comments how Cruella's talent for fashion makes so much more sense since, in her mind, it's hereditary. It probably doubles as an ego inflation for her since now she could justify Cruella's superiority as still originating from the Baroness.
- It's All About Me: At one point, the Baroness is described as an intense narcissist, believing that she should always be the centre of attention to the point of harming and even killing anyone who dares take the spotlight from her. When she gave birth to Cruella, her ego and vanity prevented her from seeing the child as anything other than a threat, and she immediately demanded that the baby be left for dead.
- Jerkass: She's a murderous, self-centered woman who will kill for petty reasons and tases her employees just for fun.
- Laser-Guided Karma: As deliberately set up by Cruella. She murdered someone by pushing them off a cliff in front of her mansion, and that's exactly what she goes to prison for. The police just got the victim wrong.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: The Baroness is revealed to be Cruella's biological mother in addition to her mortal nemesis.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: A cruel woman named von Hellman? Fitting.
- Narcissist: The Baroness has an extremely inflated ego and wants the spotlight on her at all times. She forces everyone at her boutique to stop working on occasion so they can hear her read reviews praising her genius. She was even willing to kill her own infant daughter because she couldn't find it within herself to care about anyone else.
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: The Baroness is often accompanied by three Dalmatians she has trained as attack dogs. She sics them on to Estella/Cruella at multiple points during the movie. And she used them to murder Estella's adoptive mother Catherine.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Cucumber slices.
- The Sociopath: The Baroness lays out her philosophy late in the film: Everyone else is an obstacle, and if you care about what an obstacle wants or feels, you're dead. At one point she carelessly cuts Estella's arm while observing her work, and not only doesn't apologise, but even casually looks at the injury and tells one of her assistants to find a shade of red that matches Estella's blood. It's later revealed by John that the Baroness hated becoming pregnant and even tried to have the child killed because she found it impossible to care for or love anyone other than herself.
- Villain Respect: A twofer, as the Baroness does recognize Estella's talent... and is fully willing to exploit it for herself. When she starts dealing with "Cruella," she reluctantly admits she's brilliant.
- The Von Trope Family: She's the Baroness von Hellman; the "von" adds aristocratic flair to an already imperious woman.
- Would Hurt a Child: Would have a newborn baby killed. Even if it was her own.
Jeffrey
Jeffrey
Played By: Andrew Leung
The Baroness's personal assistant.
- The Dragon: To The Baroness.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Wears glasses and is the Baroness's personal assistant.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: As to be expected from the personal assistant of a world renowned fashion designer.
John
John
Played By: Mark Strong
"It was a diabolical request."
The Baroness's loyal valet.
- Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: He's bald in the present, but a flashback to Cruella's birth two decades or so ago shows him with a full head of hair.
- Heel–Face Turn: For a certain value of "face". While he initially seems like another of the Baroness's lackeys, he turns on the Baroness in order to help her daughter and rightful heir, Estella, get vengeance.
- Undying Loyalty: The Baroness' right-hand man. Turns out the loyalty is more to the von Hellman name rather than the Baroness herself. When she orders him to kill her newborn infant, he was appalled at the order and instead secretly arranged to have one of the maids Catherine to adopt and raise the baby away from the household. He describes Baron von Hellman as a kind man and complete opposite of the Baroness, who had looked forward to becoming a father and "died from despair" after hearing his child had "died". When he finds out Estella is the Baroness' biological daughter, he secretly rescues her after the Baroness left her to die in a fire, reveals the truth about who she really is, and helps with her plan to take down the Baroness without the Baroness ever catching on. After the Baroness is arrested, John prepares Hellman Hall and his services to now-owner Estella/Cruella.
Roger
Roger
Played By: Kayvan Novak
"I'm more a lawyer than a detective, I… Yes, I'll do that."
The Baroness's lawyer.
- Adaptational Job Change: Subverted. Roger is introduced as a lawyer rather than a songwriter, but he decides to take up a career in music after being unceremoniously fired.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: He didn't know Cruella before she first visited his home in the original film. Here, she was the one who gave him Pongo as a way of making it up to him for getting him fired.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: An Informed Attribute version. According to the Baroness, he's a competent lawyer despite his clumsiness, but she fires him before he can accomplish anything law-related.
- Race Lift: White British/American in all previous media, played by an actor of Iranian descent here.
