his characters climactic demise.
Thats where we used to go to watch all the Disney shows.
Imagine watching something as colorful and beautiful and vibrant asBeauty and the Beastin that sty little cinema.
Credit: Art Streiber/Disney
I remember that music, especially, being something that always connected with me as a child, though.
Even now as an adult, those songs take me back to a certain moment.
The second I hear them, Im 12 years old again in the Fleapit with my mother.
Laurie Sparham/Disney
Maybe they thought I could do it!
This is your first musical movie, correct?This is my first time Ive ever sung on screen.
Thats a big moment for a theater veteran.
That was a moment.
Playing Chris inMiss Saigonwas another, and Roger inRent.
Those strong male characters who had an incredibly deep and intense vocal track.
To tell a story through that music especiallyMiss SaigonandRent is an immensely powerful thing.
At the beginning, we stayed away from the color red, and that concerned me a little bit.
A certain color red.
But essentially, the red became connected to the darkness of his character, which I quite liked.
When he starts to become the monster Gaston, thats when hes seen in the deep red leather jacket.
How did you feel when you first put on the costume?It was magical.
It was so special.
We made it fit so it accentuated the shoulders and gave this nice V-shaped aesthetic to it.
But the icing on the cake was the wig.
Somehow, we could always go higher.
Emma Watson requested that her Belle be an inventor and have greater agency in general.
[Laughs] Villages and towns were besieged, they lost their mayors, but he defended them.
But if youre 16 and doing that, you might be suffering from a little PTSD.
So we played it dark.
When I first met [director Bill Condon] he asked me to play him darker.
There was a lot of anguish inside him, bubbling away.
And he wasnt happy that Belle had rejected him.
And we sent that to Disney, and… there was a delay.
And I really thought I had done a good job.
Well, I need you to come in and do that.
Its not comedy, but more of the Gaston that we remember.
They turn into villains.
But below that is a broken human being.
And yet, there are bits of the film where I thought I was almost rooting for him.
Was that intentional?You sort of quite like the dude, dont you?
As much as hes annoying and stupid, everyone wants a Gaston in their gang.
I think thats why he was always such a great villain.
I see him as the biggest villainous threat in any of the Disney films.
He has no special powers.
Hes not Jafar, or Ursula, or Maleficent.
Hes a human being!
I mean, it resonates massively to whats happening in the political climate throughout the world now.
Tell me about your friendship with your LeFou, Josh Gad.
Your Instagrams were a roller coaster this year.
What was the moment you felt your bond had transcended beyond Gaston/LeFou?It was super early on.
Josh has this wonderful energy about him this warmth.
I dont have it as much.
People like me on spec.
[Laughs] But theres something about Josh.
If he walked into this room now, people would laugh and smile.
This connection is going to work.
And the second I chatted with him, I felt it.
I couldnt have asked for a better compatriot.
Thats not what Josh came onboard to do.
Josh had a huge arc to create with this character which involved my character.
But they have a history.
They were at war together.
LeFou was with him during those conquests, protecting the town.
Only through LeFou are Gastons heroic moments from 20 and 30 years ago kept alive.
We all have those friends.
If youre feeling down, I know the mate to call wholl make me feel better.
I spent two weeks on rooftops in New Zealand trying to kill a giant dragon duringThe Hobbit.
But I love it.
I love that shit!
Which of Gastons boastable talents came easiest?Horse riding was great.
I love horse riding.
Theyre so clever and sensitive and intelligent.
Supermodel horse?Magnifique.
That was my horses name.
I wont forget that because that was just so surreal.
Especially if the film is based in reality.
Its the fantasies that are a little weirder.
I supposethenI feel a bit more like Doctor Who.
