Dan Stevens Talks Singing in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Working with Bill Condon, and More

In a Q&A with The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Stevens discussed his post-Downton Abbey life, including his upcoming role as The Beast in the 2017 live-action remake of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

On working with director Bill Condon, Stevens said, "Bill's a real sweet man, and he's so intelligent and gentle. He's not one of those savage directors. He's very subtle and kind. He has a sweet sensitivity to the whole of the story to tell."

He also discussed the big question: whether or not The Beast has a singing part in the film. Stevens said, "I sang a song. Yeah, is it gonna be in the movie? You'll have to ask Bill. Alan Menken wrote a brand new song for the Beast, because he doesn't sing in the original animated movie."

Stevens claimed that his wife, singer Susan Hariet, helped him prepare for his audition, which he was "terrified of." He went on, "The preparation was so intense and different to anything I've take on before, physically and vocally and also the technology we employed in achieving that. It was so groundbreaking and mysterious and weird and wonderful. I really felt all the sort of fairytale magic."

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Disney's live action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast/Prince, Luke Evans as the vain villain Gaston and Josh Gad as his sidekick Le Fou. The film marks the return of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice, who will provide new songs for the film, which also features songs from the animated classic written by Menken and the late Howard Ashman.

The Bill Condon-helmed project follows the classic French fairy tale of a young woman who takes her father's 'place as a prisoner in a monstrous being's castle, only to fall in love with the creature who turns out to be a prince.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is set for release on March 17, 2017.