BEAUTY AND THE BEAST's Emma Watson Reveals All-New Backstory for Belle

In this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly, Emma Watson, who takes on the iconic role of 'Belle' in Disney's highly anticipated live action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, reveals an all-new backstory for the film's heroine.

In the Disney animated classic, Belle always has her nose stuck in a book, while her father Maurice is busy working on his inventions. However in the newest incarnation, it will be Belle herself who is the inventor, while Maurice (played by Oscar winner Kevin Kline) is now a constructor of music boxes. (see photo, courtesy of EW)

Explains Watson, "In the animated movie, it's her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle." She continues, "I was like, 'Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn't fit in, other than she liked books. Also what is she doing with her time?' So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor."

What do you think of the updated version?

Read the article in full HERE

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST also stars Dan Stevens as The Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be released in U.S. theaters on March 17, 2017. The project refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs from Academy Award winner Alan Menken.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST premiered on Broadway on April 18, 1994 starring Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as the eponymous Belle and Beast, respectively and ran on Broadway for 5,461 performances between 1994 and 2007, BECOMING Broadway's ninth longest-running production in history. The musical has grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities.

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Image Credit: Laurie Sparham

Image courtesy of Beauty and The Beast Facebook