It’s safe to say that actress Emma Watson has been everyone’s crush at some point in their lives (or still is). Everything from her acting abilities to her being vocal about many pressing issues is what makes her such a fan-favorite in the industry. To be honest, we’ve been in love with her ever since she played the lovable nerd in Harry Potter.
Although her work as Hermione is known as her most iconic role yet, it’s unfair to not give her the credit for many other brilliant characters she has played. This includes the character of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Both Emma Watson and Dan Steven, who played The Beast, were incredible in their portrayals which made the movie such an entertaining watch. However, Dan Stevens recalled the time when Emma Watson was nervous to shoot with him.
Dan Stevens Stressed Out Emma Watson
During an appearance on Popcorn with Peter Travers, Dan Stevens stated that while Emma Watson’s a great dancer, she was terrified of dancing with the actor. Why? Because she was worried he would break her toes! Stevens had to wear steel-capped stilts to appear tall and majestic like The Beast. There’s no way that could’ve been an easy task to carry out!
Stevens stated that Watson was worried he’d break her toes thanks to the contraptions he had to put on. However, the Downtown Abbey actor helped Watson by first learning the dance on the ground, as he put the advice he gives his kids to use in the movie.
“She’s a great dancer but she was terrified of me that I was going to break her toes in these contraptions that I was wearing. Fortunately we learned the dance on the ground. As I always say to my kids, if you think you can fly, always test it taking off from the ground. So we learned it on the ground and then worked our way up to these stilts.”
Now that’s a piece of advice coming in handy at the right time! It’s not easy being The Beast, is it? Stevens certainly pulled it off brilliantly, though!
It’s Tough Being the Beast!
It sure was tough to play the rugged (and strangely handsome) Beast for Stevens. Not only was it difficult to dance in the contraptions included in his Beast outfit, but it also got really hot for the actor. Talking to Teen Vogue, Stevens addressed the difficult situations of working under an extremely heavy costume
“I would overheat, especially when we were dancing. So between takes there was a little tube that could be plugged in to ice-cold water to cool me down.”
Stevens was also made to wear a dense vest which would contribute to adding bulk to the beasty look. That’s hot and not in the way we like! In a measure to cool the actor down, he wore a cooling vest underneath the furry one so his skin could stay cool. He certainly had to go through a lot, didn’t he? Well, all the discomfort and hardships turned out to be for the better as Beauty and the Beast was received quite pleasantly by the audience. It’s a rare win for the live-action remakes of Disney princess stories!
Beauty and the Beast is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Teen Vogue