masha-russia:

Emma Watson was our first, and really, our only choice for Belle for a lot of reasons. Her talent, her beauty, her intelligence, 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. And I think a lot of people were surprised that she pulled off this great big musical. You know, she hadn’t done one before. - Bill Condon

(via dancerhotcocoa)