The cast of The Parent Trap reunited for the first time since 1998 on Monday (July 20). Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter, and Simon Kunz all joined Katie Couric for a virtual discussion of the movie on Instagram. While it was great to see so many of the beloved film's stars reunite, there was one special person missing—the late actress Natasha Richardson, who passed away in a tragic skiing accident in 2009.
During the chat, the cast, as well as director Nancy Meyers and scriptwriter Charles Shyer, honored Richardson by recalling fond memories with the actress on set. "Natasha had such an elegance and grace and she was so maternal to me," Lohan, who played twins Hallie and Annie at just 11-years-old, shared. While Quaid, who played Hallie and Annie's father and Richardson's on-screen ex, added the late actress was "just somebody so giving and so glad to be there and transmitted that joy. It made everything that much better."
Hendrix remembered how devoted Richardson was to her husband, fellow actor Liam Neeson, and their two sons Daniel and Michael. "She would come into the hair and makeup trailer and she would literally swoon over talking about Liam and her kids. She would call him 'My Liam,'" Hendrix recalled. "And she really seemed to have it all, which to me made what happened even more heartbreaking."
In addition to celebrating Richardson, the cast also spoke about Lohan's audition and casting in her first ever film role. "Within two or three minutes, we both knew she had the part," Shyer said of Lohan's obvious talent. "She was just amazing."
"Putting aside how adorable she looked, she had that quality that just sort of leapt up at you and pulled you in. I think to be a movie star and to be the lead of a movie, you need to have that connection with the camera, that screen presence," Meyers added "We discovered a big star. We discovered somebody that everybody fell in love with."
Quaid shared his own admiration for Lohan, as well. "I had such a blast doing this movie. The first thing I remember was meeting Lindsay at some kind of screen test. I remember thinking, 'Oh my gosh. This is one of the most talented people I've ever met. Period. Forget that she's 11 years old,'" he recalled. "I actually thought that there were two girls. I really did because your accent was so perfect. You were a natural. You just fell right into it."
"When it comes down to it, this movie just had some sort of stardust that was just sprinkled on it," Quaid added. "It just happened in the ether."
Photo: Disney