The actress, currently starring in the nominated play The Balusters, says voicing Princess Tiana
More than 15 years after lending her voice to one of Disney’s most beloved animated characters, Anika Noni Rose is still very much in Princess Tiana’s world and she has clear thoughts about where the story could go next.
The actress, 53, the Balusters, about the possibility of a stage adaptation of The Princess and the Frog. Her vision? Less about stepping into a spotlight role and more about shaping the project from behind the scenes.
She said she would love to be part of the producing team, adding that by the time a stage version arrives, she might jokingly be better suited to play the older, eccentric character Mama Odie rather than Tiana herself. While she said she wasn’t fully in the loop on any Broadway development plans, her connection to the 2009 film remains as strong as ever. She described it as deeply personal something formative that she would always want to be part of in whatever way she could.
A Disney legend with roots in the role
Two years after the film’s release, Rose was named a Disney Legend, an honor bestowed by the Walt Disney Company that recognizes individuals who have made lasting contributions to the company’s entertainment legacy across generations.
Her dedication to the character has not faded with time. In 2024, she published her first children’s book, Tiana’s Perfect Plan, illustrated and released through Disney Hyperion. The story follows Tiana as she searches for the perfect ingredients for a new venture, only to discover that the pursuit of perfection may have been getting in the way all along.
Rose has spoken openly about her personal connection to that theme. She has described perfectionism as something she personally struggles with, and she wrote the book specifically to offer children a way out of the pressure that comes with constantly striving for flawless results. She expressed concern about how early stress, anxiety, and depression are showing up in children’s lives, and felt the message was urgently needed.
The book also carries a deeply sentimental origin. While Rose was in the writing process, her mother called her, moved to tears, recalling how Rose had dreamed of becoming an author since she was a small child. It was a dream Rose had completely forgotten. She reflected on how remarkable it was that the universe had kept working on that desire even after she had let it go and that it had finally found its way back to her.
A second book expands the princess conversation
Rose is now following that debut with 2. A Princess Is a Princess, her second children’s book, illustrated by Jessica Gibson. The book is set to hit shelves on Sept. 22. It is currently available for preorder wherever books are sold.
The concept had been developing in Rose’s mind since around 2015. She wanted to create something that told children especially young girls that they are already enough, exactly as they are. The message is direct, glasses, freckles, brown skin, natural hair none of it needs to be changed or hidden to make a child feel worthy of the princess title. It is about how a person feels on the inside and how they treat the people around them.
Rose recalled how, growing up, playing princess often meant altering something about your appearance making hair longer or lighter as if the default version of yourself was not quite right. She wanted to dismantle that idea entirely.
Broadway recognition follows
Meanwhile, Rose‘s current stage work is earning its own acclaim. She stars as Kyra Marshall in The Balusters, a new play written by David Lindsay Abaire that centers on a group of neighbors and the ties that hold a community together. The production has received five Tony Award nominations ahead of the June 7 ceremony, including Best Play, Best Direction of a Play for Kenny Leon, Best Featured Actress for Marylouise Burke, Best Featured Actor for Richard Thomas, and Best Costume Design for Emilio Sosa.
Rose herself received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play. The Balusters runs at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City through June 7.
EXCLUSIVE : PEOPLE