Fans Have Lots of Ideas About Who Should Play Mother Gothel for the Live-Action 'Tangled' Movie

Tangled fans were excited to hear that gears are turning on Disney's live-action remake of the Rapunzel-inspired story. Early January 2026, Disney announced that Teagan Croft will be playing Rapunzel, and Milo Manheim will be playing Flynn, her romantic counterpart in the story. Teagan is best-known for her role in DC's Titans, and Milo has appeared in the Zombies franchise, School Spirits, and the horror film Thanksgiving.

Fans are eager to hear who will play the rest of the Tangled characters, like Mother Gothel. Such a powerful and domineering character can only be taken on by a formidable actor. Fans think they know who might be up for the part.

Some fans think Kathryn Hahn, Lisa Rinna of Real Housewives, Donna Murphy, Susan Sarandon, or even Julia Louis-Dreyfus could play Mother Gothel. Others suggest Helena Bonham Carter, Cher, and Susan Egan, the voice of Meg from Disney's Hercules.

When Kathryn Hahn was asked whether she would be up for playing Mother Gothel, she gave an emphatic "Yes," and then joked that she's "really good at karaoke."

Donna Murphy, who has been nominated for five Tony Awards for her Broadway musicals (winning twice for Passion in 1994 and The King and I in 1996), had a brilliant performance as Mother Gothel in the original movie. Some fans think she will reprise her role in the upcoming film.

Donna Murphy has also appeared in shows like The Gilded Age, Brilliant Minds, and Mercy Street.

In October 2025, Scarlett Johansson was reportedly considering the part. Life & Style reported that she said, "Anything is possible," when asked about her involvement in the new Tangled movie. However, she has since parted ways with the project, according to People.

Zachary Levi, who played Flynn in the original Tangled, admitted that he thinks he's too old to play Flynn in the new film. However, he would be up for playing Rapunzel's dad. Per The Independent, he told Entertainment Tonight, "I think it would be fun if Mandy and I got to be Rapunzel’s parents. I think that would be a really fun little cameo for us to pop into."

Although the part of Flynn has already been decided, Zachary suggested Timothée Chalamet for the part at the time.

Mandy Moore said, "Maybe I could be Rapunzel’s mom. Let’s have a real mother-daughter duet, and have someone write an original song so we can talk about our differences and how hard it is to be a young person in this world."

She also told Elite Daily that Sabrina Carpenter would be great as Rapunzel. "I could see her with 50 feet of hair or something. She looks like a Disney princess in real life," Mandy said.