Alba Baptista’s favourite movie of all time: “I’ve probably seen it 100 times”
Alba Baptista became a household name by playing a ruthless, fearless freedom fighter in the stylised action series Warrior Nun, but her favourite film is a more wholesome Disney classic.
It’s not often that a star’s first role takes the world by storm, as it generally takes years in the industry to earn a breakout part, but Baptista hasn’t had that problem, as after her debut role in Warrior Nun, she became the action heroine of a new generation, and managed to please both fans of the original manga and those experiencing the supernatural epic for the first time.
It would be easy to pigeonhole her as nothing but an action star, but her surprisingly diverse filmography spans many different genres. A majority of her work has thus far been based in her home country, but she’s set to appear in the highly anticipated English-language adaptation of Voltron, which fans of the animated series and toyline have been waiting to see for literal decades.
Given how young Baptista is, it’s not exactly a surprise that she’s been obsessively watching movies from a young age. Although her filmography thus far has been aimed squarely at adults who aren’t squeamish when it comes to graphic violence, she told Glamour that she’d never turn down an opportunity to rewatch The Hunchback of Notre Dame: “I’ve probably seen it a 100 times. It brings me great comfort, and now, every time I’m hungover, I watch it”.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was one of the many animated pieces released during the ‘Disney Renaissance’ era, in which the studio could seemingly spin even the most obscure fairy tales into gold. While spending over $100million on an adaptation of a Victor Hugo novel about a physically deformed bell-ringer in France’s late Middle Ages seemed like a much tougher sell than the sweeping princess adventures of Bell, Mulan, and Ariel, Disney was justified in taking a risk given how central The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast had become to popular culture.
Unlike other Disney protagonists, Quasimodo does not have supernatural powers or royal heritage, but carries a visible burden on his back. Although the studio has been criticised for pushing unrealistic beauty standards with its characters, Quasimodo faces bullying and discrimination for the way that he looks. Given that this was still a family-friendly affair that spawned video games and theme park attractions, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ends on a happy note for the protagonist, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a mature, sensitive story that holds just as much weight for adults as it does for kids, to which Baptista can surely attest.
This film has stood the test of time, not least because of its stunning 2D animation – a beautiful, slowly fading art form. In fact, the last time Disney gave it a proper go was with Winnie the Pooh back in 2011. These days, the studio leans heavily on live-action remakes of its Renaissance-era classics, which makes it all the more surprising that The Hunchback of Notre-Dame hasn’t been given the same treatment. If Disney ever does decide to bring Quasimodo and Co back to the big screen, they’d do well to tap Baptista for a role.
