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Before she accepted the role of “Belle” in the live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” Emma Watson was offered to play another eminent Disney princess.
The British actress said in an interview with Total Film that she was originally tapped to play the title role of Kenneth Branagh’s 2015 live-action remake of “Cinderella.” In lieu of Watson, Lily James portrayed the role of the lady in the sky-blue ball gown and glass slippers.
“I didn’t know they were going to make Beauty and the Beast at the time I turned down Cinderella,” said Watson. “When they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did.”
LISTEN: Emma Watson sings as Belle in ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Watson, 26, described Belle’s resilient spirit and distinct character as one thing young girls can look up to. “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,” she said.
Belle, unlike Cinderella, Aurora or Snow White, defied the social norms and stood up for her own decisions. “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,” Watson asserted.
“Beauty and the Beast” will initially screen in global theaters on March 17. Gianna Francesca Catolico
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