The actor and singer relishes starring in the remake of Beauty And The Beast playing the main villain, writes Loong Wai Ting
IN the highl-anticipated live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast, Welsh actor Luke Evans plays the flamboyant and arrogant hunter Gaston. The 37-year-old, who has a background in singing and theatre, says it is a dream come true to be able to “sing and dance in a film”.
“It’s an incredible experience. I’ve been waiting for a long time to do this. I love how I get to use my singing voice to portray Gaston,” says the handsome actor, who has appeared in many of London’s West End productions such as Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf.
Evans, who got his big break in Hollywood after playing Apollo in the 2010 remake of Clash Of The Titans, enjoyed playing his character, so much so that he didn’t want it to end. “It didn’t feel like going to work on set every day. It felt more like a bunch of adults having fun and goofing around,” he says.
Not only that, Evans, who was once named GQ’s 50 Best Dressed British Men, adds that it is a good departure from playing the usual dark characters, like Dracula from the 2014 film Dracula Untold.
A LIKABLE SCOUNDREL
In Beauty And The Beast, Gaston is often misunderstood as being the main villain. In fact, as a natural-born leader, Gaston is often surrounded by people who look up to him, particularly his sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad). But as time goes on, his pride and obsession with Belle (and after failing to win her affection) turn him into a sadistic person.
He wages war with the Beast and threatens to imprison Belle’s father, Maurice (Kevin Kline). There’s a certain aspect in the way Gaston behaves, his expressions and mannerisms that put people off.
Evans says part of the challenge in playing Gaston was to make him likable through his hilarious antics, and his singing as well. “Gaston has a good side to him. And I want the audience to realise that from the way he interacts with his sidekick LeFou to the way he expresses himself through lots of singing,” says Evans, who was last seen in the 2016 action thriller, The Girl On The Train.
ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION
Evans was 12 when the original Beauty And The Beast film came out. He recalls going to the cinema with his mum to catch the animated Disney version, which later saw him humming the tunes over and over again.
“Mum and I loved the film so much that she bought a CD containing all the songs from the movie. I would have never imagined seeing myself in a film version of it 26 years on,” he says.
At the London premiere of the film, Evans says that he was moved by the enthusiasm of the audience, which sang along to his parts in the film. “It’s amazing to see how people connect to the film and the characters on such a deep level. They clapped along too as Gaston started to sing. I’ve never had that kind of experience before where everyone is so into your character,” he says.
ILLUMINATED ALTERNATIVE
When asked about the character he would love to play besides Gaston, Evans, without hesitation he says that it simply has to be Lumiere. In the film, Lumiere is voiced by actor Ewan McGregor.
“Lumiere has some of the best songs in the film. And it would be fun to play a candlestick,” he says, before breaking into a laugh.
Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the film is about a prince who is cursed by a witch and turned into an ugly Beast (both the prince and the Beast are played by Dan Stevens). Belle (Emma Watson), a beautiful young woman, is the one who will break the spell for him.
The film is a remake of the Oscar-winning 1991 animated musical romantic film of the same name. The original version features voices by actors Paige O’Hara as Belle, Robby Benson as the Beast, Richard White as Gaston and Jerry Orbach as Lumiere.
Beauty And The Beast opens in cinemas nationwide on March 16