Emma Watson has revealed that she partly chose to take on the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast because she saw parallels between the Disney princess and her Harry Potter character, Hermione Granger.
"For me, Beauty was the perfect, most joyful thing to do," Watson told Elle. "There was something connected about Hermione and Belle, and it was good to be reminded that I am an actress; this is what I do. The film is pure escapism."
This is not the first time Watson has spoken about why she resonates so much with the character. The actress recently confirmed that this was not the first Disney princess role she had been offered, explaining that she turned down Cinderella as she didn't feel it was right for her.
"When they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did," she told Total Film. "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 also spoke about how she deals with criticism in the interview with Elle, where she appears on the cover.
"There is a level of criticism that comes with being an actress and a public figure, which I expect, but once you take a stance on something like feminism, that's a completely different ball game," she said.
The March issue of Elle is on sale on 14 February. Emma Watson will receive the Woman of the Year Award at the Elle Style Awards on 13 February.
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