Emma Watson Explains Why She Turned Down Disney's Live Action 'Cinderella'

Post-“Harry Potter,” Emma Watson has actively avoided blockbusters, instead turning her attention to auteurs like Sofia Coppola (“The Bling Ring“) and James Ponsoldt (this spring’s “The Circle“), or using her star power to get small projects off the ground, to varying results (“The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” is great, “Colonia” isn’t). But it’s not that Hollywood hasn’t tried to land the actress for more tentpoles, and indeed, Disney succeeded in getting Watson to lead their upcoming “Beauty And The Beast.” But before that project, the mouse house offered Watson their live-action “Cinderella,” and she passed.

“I didn’t know they were going to make ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the time I turned down ‘Cinderella,’ but when they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than ‘Cinderella’ did,” she told Total Film (via Screen Rant). “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.”

And Watson took her job as role model seriously, explaining to EW last fall how she expanded the character of Belle for Disney’s new movie.

“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle,” she explained. “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.”

Very cool stuff from Watson, who clearly is passionate about ensuring she sends the right message in a movie that will be seen by millions of young girls. And no shade to Lily James, who wound up playing the lead in “Cinderella.”

“Beauty And The Beast” opens on March 17th.