Emma Watson Korea

British actress Emma Watson speaks on the screen at Yeouido CGV in Seoul during a live online press conference with local journalists, Monday. / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

Disney's female characters in fairy tales and films have often been criticized for enforcing sexist stereotypes. Many children grow up watching a white woman with blonde hair and a slim but voluptuous body, thinking this is the ideal look of a beautiful woman.

What frustrates people most in a typical Disney story is when a female character takes an obedient and dependent role and is helpless without a man.

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British actress Emma Watson, who portrays Belle in the upcoming live-action film Beauty and the Beast, said her role can abate audiences' apprehensions about Disney's stereotypically submissive female roles.

I am very positive that Disney's female characters are changing into more adventurous women in the films, Watson said during a live online press conference at Yeouido CGV in Seoul, Monday. These movies largely influence to change the society. If we imagine a world where men and women are treated equally, it will come true. Artists like us and movies can show these possibilities.

Belle is a beautiful lady growing up in the countryside who loves to read and yearns for freedom outside of her boring village. When a cold-hearted beast (played by Dan Stevens) kidnaps her father Maurice (played by Kevin Kline), Belle goes after the beast to exchange herself for her father's freedom. While living in the beast's castle, she learns to look beyond the enchanted prince's unsightly outward appearance and recognize his true heart.

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It is the first time for Watson to appear in a musical film and she promised she did her best with her role.

When I first heard I was cast in the film, I was very excited and happy. It was my first time to act and sing in a musical film. I made efforts to prove that my voice fits well in the musical while auditioning for the role, said Watson.

I was a huge fan of the fairy tale's original animation released in 1991 since I was four and I memorized all the lines and songs.

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Meanwhile, the film is drawing controversy for making the supporting role of LeFou, Gaston's sidekick, a gay person in the story. He does not do anything shocking, but some theaters in the U.S., including those in Alabama, have canceled screenings of the movie over the inclusion of the homosexual character.

The British daily newspaper The Guardian reported Monday that Russia has given Beauty and the Beast a 16 rating as it violates the local law banning gay propaganda.

I hope the audience doesn't judge the story only by its outward appearance. The film adopts subjects such as tolerance. I wanted to talk about everyone's life, the film's director Bill Condon said.

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I had to wear high heels to stand an extra 10 centimeters to make myself big like a beast. I focused on expressing the original character in the novel but tried to play him as a more charming beast, Stevens said.

Meanwhile, the film is drawing controversy for making the supporting role of LeFou, Gaston's sidekick, a gay person in the story. He does not do anything shocking, but some theaters in the U.S., including those in Alabama, have canceled screenings of the movie over the inclusion of the homosexual character.

The British daily newspaper The Guardian reported Monday that Russia has given Beauty and the Beast a 16 rating as it violates the local law banning gay propaganda.

I hope the audience doesn't judge the story only by its outward appearance. The film adopts subjects such as tolerance. I wanted to talk about everyone's life, the film's director Bill Condon said.

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I had to wear high heels to stand an extra 10 centimeters to make myself big like a beast. I focused on expressing the original character in the novel but tried to play him as a more charming beast, Stevens said.