EXCLUSIVE: Idina Menzel Talks 'Daunting' 'Beaches' Remake, Bette Midler and Wedding Planning
As she prepares for audiences to see her rendition of Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” in Lifetime’s upcoming Beaches remake, Idina Menzel is sharing her memories of the iconic hit.
“I grew up singing that song because I was a wedding and a bar mitzvah singer, so that was one of the most requested songs,” the GRAMMY-winning actress and singer told ET at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour in Pasadena, California, on Friday. “So, Bette has been with me more ways than she knows.”
EXCLUSIVE: Idina Menzel on Bette Midler’s Blessing for ‘Beaches’ Remake
The song became a smash after Midler’s character, CC Bloom, belted out the track in Gary Marshall’s 1988 classic. Menzel, 45, steps into Midler’s shoes, playing CC Bloom in the TV remake.
However, don’t expect to hear the chart-topping track at the Frozen star’s upcoming wedding to actor Aaron Lohr.
“Never! Are you kidding me?” laughed the bride-to-be when asked if the track could be her wedding song.
As for planning the big day, Menzel admits, “It’s not really going well.”
“I mean, I love my man, everything’s going well," she clarified. "[But] I don’t know when, I don’t know what.”
NEWS: Idina Menzel to Take On Bette Midler’s Role in TV Remake of Gary Marshall’s ‘Beaches’
In the meantime, Menzel has Beaches to keep her busy. With the original film now seen as a cult classic, both Menzel and her co-star, Nia Long, confessed they’re anxious about living up to audiences’ expectations of the remake.
“I’m a little nervous,” Long, 46, told ET. “I want it to be successful, I want people to feel inspired and happy about it. It's a big risk to remake a film that is beloved and respected and timeless.”
“This was a daunting thing for us and we wanted to do right by it,” added Menzel. “[We] know a lot of people out there saying, ‘Don't mess with it.’”
Beaches airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.<p>See more on the remake in the video below.