--- ---  # Here's Why Emma Watson Says Belle Resonated With Her More Than Cinderella  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 17, 2017 6:34 PM UTC  Emma Watson attends the 2016 Museum Of Modern Art Film Benefit on November 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images) Emma Watson attends the 2016 Museum Of Modern Art Film Benefit on November 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images)Rabbani and Solimene Photography—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 17, 2017 6:34 PM UTC [Emma Watson](http://time.com/3823057/emma-watson-2015-time-100/) is making a case for [_Beauty and the Beast_‘s Belle](http://time.com/4555055/emma-watson-beauty-and-the-beast-first-look/) as a feminist hero among the Disney princesses. In an interview with [_Total Film_](http://www.gamesradar.com/total-film-latest-issue/), the [ former _Harry Potter_ darling](http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,677752452001%5F2032147,00.html) explains that although she could have starred in the live-action version of _Cinderella_, she’s glad that she’ll be bringing Belle to the big screen in the live-action _Beauty and the Beast_ remake. “I didn’t know they were going to make _Beauty and the Beast_ at the time I turned down _Cinderella_,” she said. “But when they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did.” While Watson said that “the core DNA of Belle is a feminist,” she also worked with director Bill Condon to ensure that her version of Belle would be an especially empowered character. “There’s this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her,” Watson said. “In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She’s not easily swayed by other people’s perspective — not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating.” \[[TotalFilm](http://www.gamesradar.com/total-film-latest-issue/)\] Emma Watson Thinks Belle Is Better Princess Than Cinderella ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4636601/emma-watson-belle-cinderella/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4636601/emma-watson-belle-cinderella/"},"headline":"Here's Why Emma Watson Says Belle Resonated With Her More Than Cinderella","datePublished":"2017-01-17T18:34:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:40:13.871Z","description":"\"I just felt the character of Belle resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did.\"","url":"https://time.com/4636601/emma-watson-belle-cinderella/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","movies","Emma Watson","Culture","Beauty and the Beast","Cinderella"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9da6abdb17a088f/6988b5cc2dce01c7759ebee2/emma-watson-belle-beauty-and-the-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9da6abdb17a088f/6988b5cc2dce01c7759ebee2/emma-watson-belle-beauty-and-the-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2016 Museum Of Modern Art Film Benefit - A Tribute To Tom Hanks","caption":"2016 Museum Of Modern Art Film Benefit - A Tribute To Tom Hanks","creditText":"Rabbani and Solimene Photography—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4636601/emma-watson-belle-cinderella/","name":"Here's Why Emma Watson Says Belle Resonated With Her More Than Cinderella"}}]}] ```