Emma Watson Says There's No Stockholm Syndrome In 'Beauty & The Beast'

Emma Watson Says There's No Stockholm Syndrome In 'Beauty & The Beast'

Emma Watson has been a champion for changing Belle little by little for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast.

The actress didn’t wear a corset, and Belle was turned into an inventor for the film, and now Emma is opening up about one of the underlying messages of the film – Stockholm Syndrome.

Even when it was just an animated feature for children, the film was being talked about for that reason alone.

If you don’t know Stockholm Syndrome is a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological bond with their captors, developing feelings of trust or affection.

“It’s such a good question and it’s something I really grappled with at the beginning; the kind of Stockholm Syndrome question about this story,” Emma shared in her new interview with EW.

She adds, “That’s where a prisoner will take on the characteristics of and fall in love with the captor. Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly. She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm Syndrome because she keeps her independence, she keeps that freedom of thought.”

Click inside to read more about what Emma shared…

“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,’” Emma says, believing that Belle isn’t one to take bad treatment ever.

“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,’”

Emma added about the story we’ll see: “I think that’s the other beautiful thing about the love story. They form a friendship first and that gap in the middle where there is this genuine sharing, the love builds out of that, which in many ways I actually think is more meaningful than a lot of love stories, where it was love at first sight.”

“Beast and Belle begin their love story really irritating each other and really not liking each other very much. 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.”

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Photos: Walt Disney Pictures
Posted to: Beauty and the Beast, Emma Watson