Emma Watson gave up an offer, only to fulfill her childhood dream of starring in a Disney movie but things certainly didn’t go as planned for the Harry Potter film series actress. The irony of it is that while La La Land, where she was offered the lead role, went on to receive six Oscars, Watson’s role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast was met with nothing but fan hate.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson Chose Her Dream Over A Blockbuster!
Emma Watson, known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, may have a bit of baggage on her shoulder. Watson was offered a lead role in Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning romantic musical comedy-drama La La Land.
As the Noah star turned down the role to fulfill her childhood dream, the role went on to Emma Stone, who starred alongside Ryan Gosling in the movie, which bagged six Oscars and made over $447 million worldwide. Back then, she spoke about choosing Beauty and the Beast:
“When they offered me, Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much… She remains curious, compassionate, and open-minded. And that’s the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice,” Watson said of her preference to star in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
Emma Watson gave up a lead role in La La Land for Belle’s role in Beauty and the Beast (2017)
During the release of the 2017 Disney movie, Watson was already successful and had her name penned under the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. But then, fans crossed boundaries, as they criticized her performance as Belle, and wanted Anne Hathaway in the role.
Despite this, Beauty and the Beast did pretty well. In just ten days, the movie became the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time and grossed $1.263 billion worldwide. But again, even though the movie was nominated at the Oscars for creative reasons, Watson’s performance wasn’t recognized.
Emma Watson Faced Fan Hate For Belle’s Role
In Beaty and the Beast, a 2017 adaptation of Disney’s 1991 animated film of the same name, Emma Watson played the role of Belle, a benevolent bibliophile who embarks on an adventure to have a life beyond the confines of her village.
With an estimated budget of around $255 million, Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast remains the most expensive film ever made. Even though the movie received critical acclaim, Watson’s performance garnered some really lewd and cruel comments from critics.
Fans wanted Anne Hathaway to play Belle instead of Emma Watson
Some fans even suggested that Anne Hathaway would have been a better choice for the role. One Reddit commentator mentioned that the “Hermione actress was neither a beauty – just average – nor a good singer.” He called her acting, “weak, stale, forced and stiff.” The fact that she didn’t wear a corset “for her own agenda”, was also questioned.
Another person expressed that Anne Hathaway would have been better at the role because the “only part Watson is good at is Hermione because that’s who she is in real life.” Many, on the other hand, straightaway declared that they got lucky when Emma Watson and Miles Teller were replaced by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land. Watson marched forward despite this hate.
