Emma Watson and Emma Stone have both had their unforgettable moments wearing iconic yellow dresses on screen. While Watson twirled as Disney’s beloved princess Belle in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Stone danced with Ryan Gosling beneath the stars in ‘La La Land.’
Interestingly, the two movies have much more in common than you might think. Before Stone won the Oscar for Best Actress for Damien Chazelle’s musical romance, Emma Watson was supposed to take her place, until the role slipped away. Here’s what happened.
Emma Watson Was The Original Pick For ‘La La Land’
When ‘La La Land’ was first taking shape, writer-director Damien Chazelle had a very different cast in mind. As reported by Vanity Fair, the genius initially envisioned Miles Teller and Emma Watson as the leading duo.
Related: “There’s A Moment That Haunts Me”: Ryan Gosling Wishes To Redo An Iconic ‘La La Land’ Scene
Teller’s involvement makes perfect sense. After all, he starred in Chazelle’s breakthrough film, ‘Whiplash.’ Meanwhile, Watson wasn’t a very surprising choice for the role of aspiring actress Mia either.
But she had to pass on the part simply because of another major commitment. At the time, Watson found herself choosing between two highly anticipated musical movies: ‘La La Land’ and Bill Condon’s ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
Both offered career-defining roles, and both were already generating buzz in the industry. Unfortunately, filming schedules made it impossible for the ‘Harry Potter‘ actress to commit to both projects, and she had to make a difficult decision of ditching Chazelle’s project.
Watson Chose Disney Over Damien Chazelle’s Movie
Watson made it clear that her decision came down to preparation rather than preference. Speaking to Vanity Fair, she explained, “[Beauty and the Beast] wasn’t a movie I could just sort of step into.”
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“I knew I had horse training, I knew I had dancing, I knew I had three months of singing ahead of me, and I knew I had to be in London to really do that,” she continued. “This wasn’t a movie I could just kind of parachute into.”
“I knew I had to do the work, and I had to be where I had to be. So, you know, scheduling conflict-wise, it just didn’t work out.” Unfortunately, Watson didn’t get to quietly leave ‘La La Land’ either.
“It’s one of these frustrating things where names get attached to projects very early on as a way to kind of build anticipation or excitement for something that’s coming before anything is really actually agreed or set in stone,” she said.
The outcome worked out remarkably well for everyone else involved. Emma Stone went on to deliver an Oscar-winning performance in ‘La La Land,’ with fans praising her genuine chemistry with Ryan Gosling.
The impact was such that fans are now looking forward to its theatrical re-release to mark the tenth anniversary. Meanwhile, Emma Watson became an iconic Disney princess in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Many loved her for briging modern feminism spirit to the role.
But there were some that found her acting stiff and disliked that her singing voice relied heavily on digital tuning. In the end, they both wore ravishing yellow dresses but what unfolded next had nothing in common.
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