Emma Watson Recalls Nerve-Wracking ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Audition
Emma Watson fell in love with Belle decades before she was cast to play the princess in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. The original animated Disney film premiered the same year that Watson was born, and thus she grew up loving the film’s bold bibliophile. Thus when the actor learned that she was up for the role, she was over the moon. But Watson admits that she was dealing with a lot of nerves throughout her audition process.
Emma Watson had high-pressure auditions before she tried out for Belle
Of course, Watson was no stranger to big auditions. At age 9, the Brown University alum went through several months of auditions in order to secure the coveted role of Hermione Granger. But despite beating out thousands of girls for her role in the Harry Potter movies, Watson still had a ton of nerves when auditioning for Beauty and the Beast. Part of her nerves seemed to stem from the fact that she needed to prove that she had the pipes to portray Belle.
The actor feels she earned her place in the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ cast through her nerve-racking audition
“Well, you know it wasn’t really a done deal because I’d never sung professionally before,” Watson shared of her place in the Beauty and the Beast cast in an interview. “I’d sung as a child; I’d sung in school plays. It was something that, you know, I loved and always wanted to do. But I had to prove to [composer] Alan Menken and to [director] Bill Condon that I could pull this off. Because it’s a full-blown musical. It’s not like I have to just perform one short song or something. It’s like, no, these are full musical numbers.”
Ultimately, Watson was able to fight her way through her fear to give a solid audition. She was able to prove to the Beauty and the Beast director, and herself, that she was worthy of the role. “So, you know, I had to put myself on tape, and I had to audition,” the Noah actor recalled. “Yeah, it was a nerve-racking process for me. But I think I’m really glad that I went through the process of auditioning because I felt like, ‘OK, I really — I earned this now. I really won this. I feel like this is something I can do.'”
Watson was always the top choice to portray the Disney princess
Watson may have felt that she had to prove herself worthy of the role, but she was always at the top of the list to portray the princess. In the behind-the-scenes footage of Beauty and the Beast, Condon explained why she was the preferred choice to play Belle.
“Emma Watson was our first, and really our only, choice for Belle for a lot of reasons: her talent, her beauty, her intelligence,” the Beauty and the Beast director shared via ABC. “And also, you know, Belle represented a real breakthrough in Disney heroines. A strong, female, independent, character and Emma Watson is a 21st-century, very strong, female, role model.”
The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ director feels people were surprised that Watson pulled off the singing that the role required
Continuing on, Condon revealed that Watson’s performance was surprising to some since she didn’t have a background as a singer. “I think a lot of people were surprised that she pulled off this great, big, musical,” he shared. “You know, she hadn’t done one before.” Clearly, auditions can be a nerve-inducing experience no matter who you are. We’re sure Watson’s fans are pleased she pushed past her fears and landed the role anyway.
