Disney Beauty and the Beast is in theaters on March 17th. I am so excited to take my kids to see it because it is stunning. I think it is my favorite live action re-make that they have ever done. I will share my movie with you later, but now I am so excited to share my favorite interview with you. When I was in Los Angeles for the Beauty and the Beast Event we had the opportunity to interview Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. The interview as so much fun. They were very kind, open to answer questions and made the experience one to remember. 
I loved having the opportunity to interview Belle and the Prince together because you could tell that through their time making this movie they were able to grow a great friendship. They have wonderful on screen chemistry. You could tell when they interacted and answered questions that they were proud of the other actor and and enjoyed working with them. They told a cute story about when Emma Watson was at Dan Stevens house for dinner. Dan Stevens daughter over heard them talking about the Belle dress. She left the room and was gone awhile. She came back in later with Belle dress designs that she had drawn and Emma Watson took the time to look through the designs with her and they picked their favorite. Later on set, Dan's daughter saw the dress and said, yep thats the one! Feeling satisfied that she had designed it herself. 🙂
I had so many questions for Dan Stevens because he plays the role of the Prince and the Beast. Naturally, though, the Beast is a Beast so I was curious to know about his costume, if he was involved in all in the making of the beast, or was it full CG. Technology these days are incredible and we learned that he was involved in the whole process of the Beast. He wore a motion capture suit, a 40 lb muscle suit and walked on stilts for the filming of the Beast. They also used facial motion capture so they could get realistic facial motion from him as an actor. Because of the need for a motion capture suit, Dan Stevens NEVER wore the Beast costume! It was all added after the fact.
Interesting fact- Dan Stevens had 3 months of dance training for the Ball scene in the movie. This was a long process because not only did he have to learn to dance, but he had to learn to dance on stilts! I couldn't imagine how hard this would be! Dan Stevens felt that the Waltz scene is the most iconic scene of the movie and they did a great job at capturing the magic of the original dance.
Emma Watson is adorable! In all of the interviews that we did, every single person commented on how proud they were how her and how well she did. She was excited early on about the chance, but the first challenge was exploring to see if she could sing. She left her audition and went home and made a demo tape that they liked so she got the part. She is wonderful to talk to and very passionate in everything that she does. I love that she brought who she is as a person in to the character of Belle. Emma Watson was very passionate about making sure that they protected and defended the original Belle. She was very involved in the process of making the dress. The dress went through different stages to make sure it twirled enough but was also one that she could ride a horse while wearing. The dress and costumes were really important because she was able to better understand Belle through her costumes.
We asked Emma Watson what it was like to BE Belle. She said "It was kind of AMAZING!" She talked about how amazing the moment was when she saw herself in the costume for the first time. This was one of the questions that I had been interested in asking because the moment that you look in the mirror for the first time, it really becomes real. Emma found it very important that Belle had a vocation and loved the fact that Belle had no aspirations of being a princess.
You can find many beautiful themes in Beauty and the Beast. Dan Stevens and Emma Watson's favorite themes were that the Spirit of Belle needs to be Championed in all of us, everyone has a story and Belle isn't judgmental and the importance of Compassion and Empathy. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens did an amazing job in their roles as Belle and the Prince. Disneys Beauty and the Beast is in theaters March 17, 2017.
Hi, my name is Melissa! I live in Spanish Fork, Utah. I'm happily married to Rob, and together we have five wonderful kids. Our family loves to embark on adventures, often in our RV, exploring the great outdoors. I'm an avid reader and a big fan of Hallmark movies – they always have a way of lifting my spirits. Hiking is another passion of mine; there's nothing like the tranquility of nature. I have a sweet tooth for chocolate and a love for Mexican food, both of which make life a little more delicious. In my downtime, I enjoy playing games with my family, creating memories and sharing laughter. Life is an adventure, and I'm here to enjoy every moment of it! I'm the blogger and creative mind behind the blog A Sparkle of Genius! Check out our posts on recipes, crafts, kid stuff, printables, travel and more!