Over twenty years after “The Parent Trap” made its debut, the villainous character Meredith Clarke is getting a redemption arc, because of TikTok.
And actor Elaine Hendrix, who played the almost-stepmom to twins Annie and Hallie (played by Lindsay Lohan) in the 1998 movie, is here for it.
“TikTok users love Meredith Clarke, and I love them,” Hendrix stated in a latest cellphone interview.
In the movie, Meredith is the younger, lovely and gold-digging fiancé of Nick Parker (Dennis Quaid), who is father to Annie and Hallie. The twin sisters have been separated at start, however reunite years later at a summer season camp. There, they provide you with a plan to reconcile their dad and mom’ relationship … by sabotaging Meredith’s engagement with their father.
For these who grew up with the movie, Meredith was not the character to root for. At one level, the twins go on a tenting journey together with her and their dad and play pranks on her all the time. Most folks chuckle together with the twins’ shenanigans, reasonably than sympathize with the seemingly evil stepmom-to-be.
Now, although, folks nostalgic for the film — and people seeing it for the primary time — have a brand new take: #justiceformeredithblake.
In honor of the movie’s 24-year anniversary, Hendrix took the chance to reappraise her iconic character in a viral TikTok video posted on July 29, which has since garnered greater than 1.6 million viewers.
In the video, Hendrix may be seen pouring a glass of Parkers, the wine featured in the movie, in opposition to the backdrop of Adele’s chart-topping single, “Easy on Me.”
An on-screen caption begins: “He’s a 10… but he had twins he secretly separated at birth when he broke up with their mother and didn’t tell you about it until the twins discovered each other at camp and swapped places to try and get their parents back together.”
The video goes on to explain the antics the twins got here up with, which included placing rocks in Meredith’s backpack and mixing sugar water together with her mosquito repellent.
Hendrix stated she was impressed by the most recent TikTok pattern, the “He’s a 10” meme, which charges lovers on a scale from 1 to 10 primarily based on their attractiveness earlier than presenting a destructive or constructive trait which may have an effect on their rating.
“I don’t make videos too often, but I do really enjoy making them, and I tried to take different challenges or whatever’s trending and just try to put my own spin on it,” she stated. “That’s what I did with this one.”
Many commenters expressed their sympathies for Meredith, with one consumer writing: “I hope Meredith Blake married a handsome billionaire who treated her like a queen.”
Hendrix stated she is here for the fan love.
“I’m amazed. I’m honored. I’m thrilled,” Hendrix stated. “There are multiple generations who have embraced the movie and Meredith Blake, and it’s wonderful.”
She particularly appreciates the response from Gen-Zers, who have been uncovered to the movie years after its launch.
“This movie makes me feel like I’m a part of them,” Hendrix stated of the youthful era. “I appreciate that because I’m constantly looking and learning, and it’s keeping me young and beautiful, which is not a crime, you know.”
And whereas Hendrix acknowledged the criticism in opposition to the twins’ dad and mom for separating them, Hendrix stated she made the video in jest and that viewers should not learn too deeply into the character’s dynamics.
“In a Disney film, there is the good guy and the bad guy,” Hendrix defined. “Meredith, for all intents and purposes, is the villain. She’s the obstacle, she’s the conflict in that film, and you need that.”
Villain or not, Hendrix, on behalf of Meredith, stated to followers: “I love you.” But to her haters? “I’m shipping you to Switzerland!”