At the time, Egan was starring on Broadway as Belle in the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, a role she originated, and had been four months into her tenure when she learned of auditions for Meg. Disney was interested in recruiting a Broadway performer to voice Meg, instead of casting separate actors as the character's speaking and singing voices. Meg is voiced by American actress and singer Susan Egan who, prior to Hercules, had auditioned for every animated Disney film since 1991's Beauty and the Beast.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Meg was one of Disney's first heroines to have been written with a past and backstory. Since Meg initially works for Hades, the writers also drew inspiration from Lola, a temptress contracted to work for the devil in the musical Damn Yankees (1956). In addition to her 'sharp-tongued' nature, writing Meg as a heroine who plots with the film's villain against its hero was a stark departure from previous Disney heroines and virtually unprecedented at the time. Clements said that Meg 'was especially interesting for us because she was so different from the other Disney heroines' of the time period. The writers based Meg on actress Barbara Stanwyck's character in the film The Lady Eve (1941). Thus, Meg was written as a cynical heroine who finds it difficult to trust men. Directors and screenwriters Ron Clements and John Musker primarily drew inspiration for the film from screwball comedies during the 1930s and 1940s, particularly films directed by Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, with Musker describing Hercules as 'a comedy about the battle between idealism and cynicism, in the same way as some of those Sturges and Capra movies'.

Herakles author Emma Stafford determined that Disney had assimilated the character with Deianira, in addition to making Meg older and more experienced. The writers adapted the way in which Hercules meets his second wife, Deianira, into the way he meets Meg. These elements were entirely omitted from the animated film while retaining a female character named 'Meg', instead adapting her into a con artist with a troubled past, whose relationship with Hercules ultimately redeems her.

Megara and their children are eventually killed by Hercules himself, having been driven to insanity by Hera, the wife of his unfaithful father Zeus. The eldest daughter of King Creon, Megara is gifted to Hercules after he defeats the Minyans at Orchomenos. In Greek mythology, Megara is Hercules' first wife, with whom the character has several children. Meg's role in Hercules is one of several creative liberties Disney took when adapting the Greek myth into an animated film. Meg has made subsequent appearances in the film's sequel, television spin-off, and video game adaptations, as well as a live-action iteration in Once Upon a Time, portrayed by actress Kacey Rohl.ĭevelopment Creation and writing The character is considered to be underappreciated by contemporary critics, with several media publications ranking her among Disney's most underrated heroines. Reception towards Meg has been positive, with critics welcoming her independence, wit, and complexity as departures from previous Disney heroines, as well as praising Egan's performance. After opting not to draw the character realistically, supervising animator Ken Duncan decided to input elements of Greek pottery into Meg's hair, body, and clothing, while borrowing some of Egan's own mannerisms. To prepare for both her audition and the role, Egan drew inspiration from several classic Hollywood actresses, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Lauren Bacall, in addition to Stanwyck. Despite campaigning heavily for the role of Meg, Disney initially prevented Egan from auditioning because the studio felt Meg and Belle's personalities differed too greatly. Loosely based on Megara and Deianira, Hercules' first and second wives in Greek mythology, directors Ron Clements and John Musker adapted Meg into a morally conflicted con artist, while basing her role and personality on 1940s screwball comediennes, particularly actress Barbara Stanwyck's performance in The Lady Eve (1941).Įgan had already been starring as Belle in the stage adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1994) when she learned of auditions for Hercules. Hades forces Meg to uncover Hercules' weaknesses by seducing him in return for her freedom, only to develop genuine feelings for the hero instead. Voiced by actress Susan Egan, Meg is introduced as a cynical young woman enslaved by Hades, god of the underworld. Megara, commonly known simply as Meg, is a fictional character who appears in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film Hercules (1997).

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