“Beauty and the Beast” Director Reveals Unusual Audition Song Choice!
Filming recently wrapped on the upcoming live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) as Belle, alongside Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as the Beast. Unfortunately, the film won’t be released until 2017, so we’ve got a little bit of a wait ahead of us, but Josh Gad, who plays LeFou, gave us a glimpse at the set on his last day.
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Chicago), the director of the film, has spoken in a new interview about how he requested an audition song that had nothing to do with the original musical:
I had them all sing ‘Hakuna Matata,’ just to confuse them.
He also spoke about the film itself, revealing,
I wouldn’t say we’re changing the story so much as sort of making connections that in a lot of cases were right under the surface. Honestly, there are so many people who love the original film and love the Broadway show, and they’ve had two decades now to pick them apart and point out big questions and plot holes… So hopefully, this will be a film where a die-hard fan can jump up and say, ‘Exactly!’
We can’t wait – it sounds fantastic, and we’re looking forward to seeing Emma take on the role of Belle. While you’re waiting, you can find out more about the film here.
Are you looking forward to the film? What do you think about the audition song choice? Let us know in the comments!