Introducing, the Baker family! Cheaper By the Dozen is back and better than ever with a new cast. The Disney+ remake — which premiered on Friday, March 18 — stars Gabrielle Union (Zoey Baker) and Zach Braff (Paul Baker) as the matriarch and patriarch of a giant blended family.
Per the streaming service’s official synopsis, the movie is a “fresh take” on the 2003 film of the same name. The logline reads, “It is the story of the raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.”
It was first announced in December 2020 that Union — who also serves as an executive producer on the project — would be at the forefront of the Disney+ remake with Braff’s casting news coming a little over a month later in January 2021.
“When I first read the script … I wanted to be a part of something that our whole family could watch together and, you’ve seen some of my work, I don’t do a lot of family-friendly type of stuff,” the Bring It On alum told Entertainment Tonight ahead of the premiere. “So, I felt not only was it the perfect time for my own family but I think it’s the perfect time for all the families who want to see different kinds of folks and different kinds of families reflected and celebrated on screen.”
👉 For more insights, check out this resource.
When it came time to cast the kids, Union and Braff’s onscreen brood of 10 children — rounding out the family’s dozen — was announced in February 2021.
Caylee Blosenski (Harley Baker), for one, told J-14 that working alongside her costars was an “amazing” experience, noting that Union gave her “so much advice” while Braff was “so funny.”
👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.
The up-and-coming star added, “He came to set with different jokes every day and really brightened up the room. … I don’t know how they did it.”
Although she played a mom of 10 in the film, Union also told ET that she couldn’t do it in real life.
“[The kids would be like], ‘Mom went to the store, and in six years she hasn’t returned!'” she joked, calling the Baker family a “whole different animal.”
Union continued, “I think we are at max capacity at the Wade-Union household and that’s why Zoey Baker is a fictitious character!” referring to herself and husband Dwyane Wade.
Keep scrolling to meet the Cheaper By the Dozen cast.
