Belle is a departure from other Disney princesses, Emma Watson insisted at the London premiere of her new fantasy romance film Beauty and the Beast on Thursday evening.
“The wonderful thing about Belle is I feel like even in the original, she was very progressive,” Watson said, adding that she enjoyed filling out more of the back story for the character.
Arriving at the launch of the highly-anticipated film at Spencer House in London dressed in a dramatic Emilia Wickstead gown with a king train, she added that the film offers a salve in troubled times.
She said: “It’s pure joy this film, it’s unapologetically romantic and sometimes we need that and I think particularly now we need that, and you come out fuller than when you went in.”
On the other hand, Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, who takes on the role of the prince turned into a beast, said he was surprised by how much some of the story felt important in the current political climate.
That is the magic of fairytales... sometimes they tell a lot of truths
He said: “Considering we made this film two years ago, there are now certain scenes that resonate in a way that we couldn’t imagine two years ago and it is strange but that is the magic of fairytales... sometimes they tell a lot of truths.”
A live action remake of the 1991 Disney animated movie, Beauty and the Beast follows Belle as she is imprisoned by a beast in his castle.
She meets and becomes friends with its staff members, such as Mrs Potts the teapot, voiced by Emma Thompson, and gradually warms to the beast.
Director Bill Condon said that he felt “pressures” in creating the remake, while Ian McKellen, who takes on the voice of Cogsworth the clock, said the anticipation of seeing how the new film compares with the original was “nerve-racking”.
“Lots of jokes in this, and unexpected jokes, with constant references back to the Disney animation, so I think it’s very likely to appeal to, probably even more than the original,” McKellen added.
Beauty and the Beast hits cinemas worldwide from March 15.