The Belle depicter explains the essence of Belle's relationship with Beast, suggesting that Belle is not trapped in any Stockholm Syndrome-like situation.
- February 17, 2017
AceShowbiz -
"Beauty and the Beast (2017)" will soon be released in U.S. theaters and some discussions about the movie have emerged. One of them is a question about the very essence of Belle and Beast's relationship and what it means to Belle depicter Emma Watson.
We know from the classic animated version that Belle is imprisoned by Beast as she tries to rescue her father. Belle and Beast later on fall in love with each other, which eventually raises question about whether the love actually grows from the abusive situation Belle has to endure. People start to wonder if Belle has Stockholm Syndrome, in which a prisoner gets infatuated with the captor.
Watson, though, claims that Belle doesn't have any characteristic of someone with Stockholm Syndrome. "Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly," says Watson to Entertainment Weekly. "She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm Syndrome because she keeps her independence, she keeps that freedom of thought."
Watson, who is an ardent feminist, adds that Belle is not a kind of woman who praises kindness over everything. "I think there is a very intentional switch where in my mind Belle decides to stay. She's giving him hell. There is no sense of, 'I need to kill this guy with kindness,' " says Watson. "In fact, she gives as good as she gets. He bangs on the door, she bangs back. There's this defiance that 'You think I'm going to come and eat dinner with you and I'm your prisoner-absolutely not,' " she adds.
Watson later shares her thought about the real essence of Belle and Beast's relationship. "Beast and Belle begin their love story really irritating each other and really not liking each other very much," says Watson. "They build a friendship, slowly, slowly, slowly, and very slowly that builds to them falling in love. They are having no illusions about who the other one is. They have seen the worst of one another, and they also bring out the best."
"Beauty and the Beast" live-action movie is directed by Bill Condon. The musical film will feature Dan Stevens as Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.
