Emma Watson On the Reason She Chose Belle Over Cinderella
Jan 18, 2017
Actor Interviews, Films, Interviews, Media, Movies, News, Watson, Watson Interviews
Emma Watson, the intelligent and studious Hermione Granger, was originally approached by Kenneth Branagh, director of the 2015 remake of Cinderella (who fans may also recognize as Gilderoy Lockhart from the Harry Potter films), to star as Cinderella. Watson declined the role, however, believing that Cinderella wasn’t a good fit for her and Lily James was offered the part instead.
A few years later, she accepted the role of a different Disney princess, Belle, in the remake of Beauty and the Beast. Watson did not turn down Cinderella in hopes of landing the role of Belle, but she does believe that Belle is a much better role-model. According to Huffington Post, she spoke with Total Film about her upcoming role for an article in their latest issue.
“I didn’t know they were going to make Beauty and the Beast at the time I turned down Cinderella. But when they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did. She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that’s the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice.”
Even after accepting the role of Belle, Watson still expressed concerns about the script and wardrobe and only accepted the role after being guaranteed that she would be able to collaborate with the director on a few elements of the character. One of the main changes that Watson pushed for was for Belle to be an inventor, like her father was in the original. This is one of the reasons Belle is a better feminist role-model, which means a lot to Watson as an ambassador for education for girls.
“The core DNA of Belle is a feminist, and that’s Linda Woolverton, who was the first female writer who wrote for Disney. There’s this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her. In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She’s not easily swayed by other people’s perspective ? not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating.”
After seeing Emma Watson for years in the role of Hermione, it seems much more fitting for her to assume the role of Belle over Cinderella. Emma who has even started her own Goodreads feminist book club, is a dedicated supporter of both women’s rights and education. These are two things that Belle clearly represents and conveys to viewers through her love of reading and her interest in mechanics and inventing. Seeing a Disney princess with these hobbies will hopefully encourage other young girls to do the same.
We’re all anxiously awaiting the release of Beauty and the Beast on March 17th, 2017 to see Watson in action as Belle!
