A Movie Emma Watson Refused to Star In Made $447 Million and Got 6 Oscars
Harry Potter star Emma Watson once turned down an offer that could have made her even more famous, but she does not regret her decision because it helped her fulfill one of her childhood dreams.
"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. (via)
The actress revealed she watched a lot of Disney movies growing up.
But what was the offer she turned down? Well, Emma Watson was offered the lead role in Damien Chazelle's romantic musical comedy-drama La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and another Emma – Stone. The film won 6 Oscars and grossed an impressive 447 million worldwide – 10 times its budget.
While starring in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast may have been Watson's dream, the reviews of her performance were rather disappointing. Some of the cruelest comments described her as giving one of the weaker performances of the cast.
Cinephiles shared their impressions in a thread on Reddit that is honestly painful to read for any Watson fan.
One of the commenters was particularly ruthless, saying that the Hermione actress was neither a beauty – just average – nor a good singer. Her acting was weak, stale, forced and stiff. The fact that she refused to wear a corset, driven by her own agenda, was bad for the movie, because what else can be the most beautiful classic Disney dress?
And the bottom line is that Anne Hathaway should have played Belle. What a verdict! Some said the only part she's good at is Hermione because that's who she is in real life.
One commenter went so far as to say, "The one thing the Beauty and the Beast remake did really well was remind fans how lucky they are that Emma Watson and Miles Teller were replaced by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land."
It should be noted, however, that for all the criticism directed at Watson in particular, Beauty and the Beast did quite well. Within ten days of its opening, it became the highest grossing live-action musical of all time, surpassing Mamma Mia! at the box office. In total, it grossed over 1.2 billion internationally.