First look: Daniel Radcliffe gets a fairy-tale makeover as Prince Charming in Netflix's Cinderella reimagining 'Steps'

Fairy tales have survived for centuries because they never stop changing. Netflix's Steps gives Cinderella another twist, with Daniel Radcliffe trading his familiar image for Prince Charming in a reimagining that promises to look beyond the happily-ever-after. Rather than simply retelling a classic, the film explores the people behind the fairy tale, blending fantasy with emotional complexity.

The reimagination of the classic from Netflix sets into question everything from the 'evil step sisters' narrative to the Prince Charming carrying the glass slippers. The latter notion, fortunately for the audience, challenged through Daniel Radcliffe who stars among the rest of the star studded cast.

  Netflix Animation is officially shaking up the fairy-tale landscape with Steps, an upcoming animated comedy arriving on November 20, 2026. Adding to the whimsical chaos is a stellar supporting cast, headlined by Daniel Radcliffe voicing a fresh, quirky take on Prince Charming. The film subverts the classic Cinderella narrative by shifting the spotlight to her supposedly "evil" stepsisters, Lilith (Ali Wong) and Margot (Stephanie Hsu), who are completely fed up with living in Cinderella’s (Amanda Seyfried) shadow.

In a chaotic bid for independence, Lilith steals the Fairy Godmother’s (Bette Midler) wand, accidentally allowing a villainous new queen named Priscilla (Nikki Glaser) to seize the throne. To fix the royal mess, the stepsisters must forge an unlikely alliance with Cinderella herself.  First-look images showcase the Prince with wide-eyed, classic fairy-tale energy blended into a modern animated style. He is flanked by Peter Dinklage as Roderick, a murderous yet love-driven "man-nanny," and Young Mazino as Gef, a handsome troll heartthrob. Directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, Steps promises a holiday family watch packed with sisterly redemption and subverted expectations.  

Navigating the high-stakes pressure of sudden royalty on screen requires a certain level of emotional resilience, a trait that Radcliffe knows all too well from his own life in the spotlight.

While Daniel Radcliffe was not crowned a prince in Harry Potter, with his Elder Wand, and the scar on his head, he was no less for the people of Hogwarts. Furthermore, the Prince identity followed Radcliffe outside of Hogwarts as well, where he was greeted with massive fame at a nascent age. And as per his recent advocation for mental health support, the head that wore the crown could not be any heavier

 In a recent candid interview, Daniel Radcliffe took the conversation a step further, suggesting that therapy should be mandatory for child actors to help them process the unique pressures of early fame. 

“Normalize it, start therapy before you need it,” Radcliffe urged while speaking to Bustle for the One Nightstand With Daniel Radcliffe series.

For an actor who has spent years choosing the unexpected over the obvious, Steps feels like a natural next chapter. It reflects Hollywood’s broader shift toward giving classic figures more emotional depth, nuance, and humanity. By dismantling the traditional archetypes of flawless princes and inherently evil villains, the film mirrors the real-world necessity of looking past shiny exteriors to see the actual person underneath. 

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