Entertainment Movies Michelle Pfeiffer Was 'on Edge' About Playing 'Blatantly Racist' 'Hairspray' Character, Director Says Director Adam Shankman tells PEOPLE Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter "really reassured" her about taking on the role of Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray By Stephanie Wenger Stephanie Wenger Stephanie Wenger is a TV Writer/Reporter at PEOPLE. She joined the brand in 2021 as a digital news writer, covering stories spanning across the site's verticals. She previously contributed E! Online, Hollywood Life and Oscar.com. People Editorial Guidelines and Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 21, 2022 03:45PM EDT Photo: David James/New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock Michelle Pfeiffer had some reservations about her part in Hairspray. For the film's 15th anniversary this week, director Adam Shankman tells PEOPLE that the actress received reassurance from her daughter Claudia, now 29, about playing Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray. "Michelle brought her daughter Claudia to the read-through and maybe she came and visited once," Shankman says. "I know that was very emotional and very meaningful because Michelle was very on edge about playing somebody so blatantly racist." He adds, "It made her uncomfortable a little bit, and her daughter really reassured her that it would be fine." In the film, Von Tussle is the station manager at WTZT, where The Corny Collins Show is filmed. She pushes her daughter Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) into the spotlight and puts her antiquated beliefs on display. Shankman explains how the film's message is the antithesis of Pfeiffer's character. The movie follows plucky teen Tracy Turnblad as she chases big-star dreams while fighting for racial equality amid the turbulent civil landscape of 1960s Baltimore. Hairspray Turns 15! Nikki Blonsky and Director Adam Shankman Reveal Secrets from Set of Iconic Movie Musical Hairspray (2007). Courtesy Warner Bros. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. "Legitimately buried in the movie is just how wrong it is to hate on other people, so whatever that looks like. Tracy didn't have the same issues as Seaweed. It's a blanket message," he says. He adds, "And then obviously, the 'You Can't Stop the Beat' [song] is the optimistic look towards the future. You can't stop change. Change is how the world works. You can't stop time, as much as some people wish they could." Shankman also opens up about why the film personally resonated with him. Hairspray Director Recalls Watching John Travolta and Christopher Walken Waltz: 'What Am I Looking At?' "The goal of the movie was just to get out there and spread pure joy, to express how I felt in life.… I always felt like an other kind of a teenage kid who didn't understand why people didn't want me to dance, maybe because I was gay or whatever it was," he says. "So I poured all of that into it. And I've never understood prejudice. So I think we accomplished that." "And in all the years past it," he continues, "I've had nothing but an endless stream of parents saying, 'Thank you for making this because you've opened up a conversation in our house with our kids that has been incredible, and we're grateful.' So I don't know what else I could ask for." Hairspray is available to own on Blu-ray and digital now.