When most people think of a princess, they imagine a fancy dress and a handsome prince. However, Emma Watson, who plays Belle in Disney’s live-action film of Beauty and the Beast, sees a 21st century heroine.
After she was offered the role, Watson was determined to give it a more feminist touch.
“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle,” Watson told Entertainment Weekly.
“I was like, ‘Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. Also, what is she doing with her time?’ So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor.”
Feminism has always been important to Watson. In 2014, she was the UN women’s goodwill ambassador. Watson has worked to raise awareness about feminism through interviews, speeches and now, the roles of her characters.
Bill Condon, director of the film, also worked to make Belle a more modernistic princess.
“In the 1991 film, Belle was a real breakthrough among Disney heroines. But obviously a lot has happened in 25 years,” he told People Magazine. “We wanted to make sure that she remained a feminist figure and someone who looks to the future.”
Condon and Watson are determined to show viewers the role model that Belle can be. Watson is not only portraying Belle as an inventor, but as a princess whose natural instinct is to show compassion toward others.
“In the original film she’s someone who loves reading, and in this film, she’s equally concerned with teaching other girls how to read,” Condon said.
In recent years, feminism has become a much more sensitive subject. Certain celebrities, Watson included, have received criticism concerning their viewpoints. In early March 2017, Watson posed for Vanity Fair in a nearly see-through top. Some have accused her of not being a true feminist, simply because she posed with her breasts partially exposed.
“It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is,” Watson said. “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.”
Making Belle a more realistic and feminist princess was certainly something Watson had always considered.
“She was this feisty young woman who spoke her mind and had all these ambitions, and was incredibly independent — wanted to see the world,” Watson said to Disney.
“She had this relationship with Beast where they were just toe-to-toe. That to me just seemed like such a dynamic and interesting relationship that I’d never seen before in a fairy tale.”
Sure, it’s still a tale as old as time, but thanks to Watson, we’ll see what it means to be a true princess.