'Beauty and the Beast' Live-Action Star Luke Evans Says the Loyalty to the Animated Version Is 'Staggering'

When Yahoo sat down with Luke Evans to talk about The Girl on the Train, we couldn’t resist asking him about the spring 2017 release of Disney’s new live-action version of the 1991 animated feature Beauty and the Beast.

“It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career so far, working with Bill Condon, who is an incredible director. He was thoroughly enjoying the experience as much as we were,” Evans said.

Evans plays the self-centered Gaston competing for Belle’s love, and his sidekick LeFou is played by Josh Gad, who also played Olaf in Frozen.

“I got to have banter with Josh Gad, who’s a very funny man. We worked very well as a duo, and it was really, really exciting. I loved every second of it.”

It’s been two and a half decades since the release of the original animated film, which was also nominated for best picture. So, when fans head to the theaters next year, how will the new film compare?

“They won’t just recognize it. They’ll feel like they’re watching the animation. At certain points, the loyalty to the original 25-year-old animation is staggering,” Evans said.

Just how loyal will the new film be? When we asked Evans if he’ll be ripping off his shirt like Gaston did in the original, this is what he had to say:

“You’ll just have to watch the movie, won’t you. I’m not going to give anything away.”

Watch a video of Idina Menzel talking about potential storylines for Frozen 2:

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