Emma Watson Beauty And The Beast Pinterest

, the role came with a bit of a change: This Disney princess wasn't going to be gasping for breath in corsets, or riding horses in dainty ballet slippers. She'd be a woman of action, who goes after what she wants — be it her father's freedom or a romance with one seriously hairy (and brooding) prince.

Here's what she did to prepare for the high-energy role — and how she eats and exercises to keep up that same woman-on-a-mission role in her real life.

While some may dismiss Belle as delicate, Watson's portrayal sounds far from it. She specifically requested riding boots, instead of ballet flats, so her character could ride horses and run around the French countryside. 

Emma Watson Says Belle Doesn't Have Stockholm Syndrome In

She also took her preparation for the film's iconic dance numbers seriously — as did everyone involved in the movie. The Be Our Guest sequence, for example, was filmed over the course of a month. It was really just very technical, and because it was so technical, really sort of painstaking, Watson told

. Yeah, it was tricky. But I think it looks spectacular, and it all paid off — so all worth it in the end!

The star's a huge fan of Mexican food — particularly La Esquina in New York City — and at home, she makes her own Mex-inspired breakfast taco. It's my special thing, she told

Emma Watson Just Ditched The Disney Princess Look — And Looks Gorgeous

Rather than logging hour after hour at the gym, Watson gets in 30-minute workouts when she works with fitness instructor Emily Drew. Drew's program focuses on three areas: stretching, strength and stillness. Stretches help Watson's posture, keeping her looking long and lean, while the strength circuit combines leg, cardio, and ab exercises. (Drew credits stability ball exercises, like oblique rolls and ball passes, for the actress's flat abs.) During the stillness portion, Watson holds yoga poses and meditates. 

Watson's a fan of mojitos, and she knows what to do when you've had a few too many to drink: An English breakfast — sausages, baked beans, she told a fan who asked for her hangover cure.

Watson often goes on walks to stay in shape (though she admits it can feel hopeless), her most recent ones serve a dual purpose: Helping her share books she loves. Watson's been tucking away tomes all over various cities as part of a Books On The Underground initiative, which encourages commuters to put down their phones and pick up a great read.

Why Emma Watson Stopped Taking Selfies With Fans

Star's big on taking Omega-3 supplements, which can reduce inflammation and your risk of heart disease (in addition to keeping your mind sharp, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center). She's also into Vitamin C with rose hips. After all, you've got to keep your immune system strong when you're always on the go — and by the looks of her

Candace Braun Davison writes, edits, and produces lifestyle content that ranges from celebrity features to roll-up-your-sleeves DIYs, all while relentlessly pursuing the noblest of causes: the quest for the world's best chocolate chip cookie.

Costco Customers Complain About The Famous Chicken The 10 Best Nespresso Machines French's Is Making Mustard-Flavored Skittles This Genius Pickle Jar Is Worth Every Penny

Emma Watson In 'beauty And The Beast' First Trailer

Investigating Hollywood's Favorite Sushi Spot Selena Gomez's Birthday Dress Matched Her Cake What Is Culinarycore? The 5 Best Hydration Packs You Can Buy

Sonic Has A New Celebrity Drink Menu AMC Might Just Have The Best 'Barbie' Collectible Lana Del Rey Spotted Working At Waffle House These Are The Cheapest Beers You Can Buyballroom, one that’s long been associated with the classic French fairy tale: Is Belle’s love the result of being an abusive relationship with her captor, who won’t let her go until she falls in love with him? According to Emma, who plays Belle opposite Dan Stevens’ horned Beast in Disney’s live action release next month, the new film will not leave viewers with that message. “It’s such a good question and it’s something I really grappled with at the beginning; the kind of Stockholm Syndrome question about this story, ” she tells

. “So, I did some reading about Stockholm Syndrome… It’s where a prisoner will take on the characteristics of and fall in love with, in this really strange way, the captor. Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly. She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm Syndrome because she keeps her independence, she keeps her independence of mind. And I think there’s a very intentional switch where, in my mind, Belle decides to stay.”

Things We Learned About Beauty And The Beast From Emma Watson And Dan Stevens

Emma adds that her portrayal of Belle is one who fights back every time she’s put in her place. Her refusal to join him for dinner in the beginning is also a sign of protest. “He bangs on the door, she bangs back. There’s this defiance that, ‘You think I’m going to come and eat dinner with you and I’m your prisoner? Absolutely not.’” Belle and Beast’s love story, she says, also goes beyond the prisoner-captor relationship because they form a friendship first. “The love builds out of that, which in many ways, I actually think is more meaningful than a lot of love stories where it was love at first sight.”

, and the royals. She’s also a proud Canadian and pug lover. When Peggy’s not obsessing over Leo’s latest lover or gut size, she can be found watching old episodes of

. Her dream is to one day live on a pug farm and write children’s books, with illustrations by her very talented husband Greg.

Emma Watson Wears Oscar De La Renta Black Jumpsuit At Beauty And The Beast La Premiere

Important: All of Marvel’s Upcoming Releases Read America Ferrera’s Full 'Barbie' Monologue Can You Stream the ‘Barbie’ Movie Yet? 55 Halloween Movies That Are Not Scary. Promise!

The Best Comedy Horror Movies (Yes, It’s a Thing) FYI, You Can Visit the ‘Hocus Pocus’ Locations IRL Lily Collins Is Playing Polly Pocket in a Movie The Best Comedy Movies From The 2000s

The Best Barbie Merch the Internet Has to Offer All The Best Tweets About 'Barbie' (And Ken) Here’s How to Watch ‘Oppenheimer‘ The 32 Best Horror Movies to Look Out for in 2023Actress, U.N. Goodwill Ambassador and all-around girl crush Emma Watson is almost as well known for her empowering statements about women as she is for choosing parts that make her an amazing role model. (Hi, Hermione!). So it’s no surprise that she chose to play Belle in the upcoming film 

What Emma Watson Eats To Stay Healthy

, Watson revealed in a recent interview that she was specifically drawn to Belle over other princesses. I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did, she said. She says she turned down the role of Cinderella for the 2015 live-action remake—a role that eventually went to

“There’s this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her, ” Watson said of the character. Ultimately, the actress found Belle to be the better princess when it came to empowering young women—especially in today’s political climate. 

“In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring.” Watson continued. “She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She’s not easily swayed by other people’s perspective—not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating.”

This Is The Celebrity Who Has The Most Popular Hair On Pinterest... And Prepare To Be Surprised

Needless to say, we can’t wait to see Watson’s take on our favorite bookish heroine in the film, which hits theatres March 17.

Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist who writes about women and power. She covers women’s equality through the lenses of sports, wellness, and the gender gap across industries and is the author of MONEY, POWER, RESPECT: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism

Presented by United Healthcare How To Avoid Unexpected Health Bills What The Full Moon In Aquarius Means For Your Sign Lorde Gave Look at How Taylor Swift Texts Her TikTok Loves This $29 Diet Coke Mini Fridge

A Numerologist Explains The Meaning Behind 555 What Barbie Looked Like The Year You Were Born Where Is Beanie Babies Creator Ty Warner Now? Get This Cordless Handheld Vacuum For 70% Off RN

Every Spoiler For Charity Lawson's Hometown Dates Every 'Bachelorette' 2023 Season 20 Spoiler All About Lucie Blackman's Parents: Tim And Jane What Did Cal Do In 'Sweet Magnolias'?’s March 2017 issue, Emma Watson explains why she recently started refusing selfie requests from fans. According to Emma, it’s all about security, something she’s long fought for in her career since her

Days. “For me, it’s the difference between being able to have a life or not. If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters. They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data.” Instead, Emma suggests, ask her for an autograph or literally anything about Harry Potter. “I have to carefully pick and chose my moment to interact, ” she tells

. “When am I a celebrity sighting versus when am I going to make someone’s freakin’ week? Children I don’t say no to, for example.”

With social media, Emma explains, her battle for privacy and security has been