Now & Then

BELLE

The part played by Emma Watson was originally voiced by former Broadway actress Paige O’Hara (far right), now 60, who made her movie debut in the Disney feature. Today she’s an actress, singer and artist who paints Belle for Disney Fine Art.

GASTON

Luke Evans plays the handsome but shallow villager who woos Belle. The original blowhard was voiced by Richard

White, now 63, an actor and singer in New York City. MAURICE Belle’s loving artist father is played by Kevin Kline. Maurice was originally a wacky inventor voiced by Rex

Everhart, a film and musical theater actor, who died in 2000. LEFOU Josh Gad voices Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp. Jesse Corti, now 61, the original LeFou, went on to voice the Spanish dignitary in Frozen and Mr. Manchas in Zootopia. LUMIÈRE The Prince’s French valet who becomes a gilded candelabra as a result of a spell is voiced by Ewan McGregor. Jerry Orbach (Detective Lennie Briscoe on TV’s Law & Order), who died in 2004, was the original candelabra.

THE BEAST

Before Dan Stevens had the part of the once-dashingprince-turned-beast, it was voiced by Robby Benson (left), now 61, who went on to become a professor of telecommunications at Indiana University. Now on hiatus, he’s developing a new musical, I Hear a Song!

COGSWORTH

Ian McKellen is the castle’s fastidious and tightly wound head butler who is transformed into a mantel clock. The stuffy character was voiced by David

Ogden Stiers, now 74, the actor best known for his TV role as Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H.

MRS. POTTS

Emma Thompson replaced Angela Lansbury as the castle’s housekeeperturned-teapot with a Cockney brogue. Lansbury, now 91, is working on a new movie, Mary Poppins Returns.

MADAME DE GARDEROBE

Audra McDonald voices the opera diva who becomes an enormous wardrobe, taking the place of Jo Anne Worley, now 79, a comedic actress who appeared on TV’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.

PLUMETTE

Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays the cheeky housemaid-turned-feather-duster. Fifi (the duster in the original) was voiced by Kimmy Robertson, now 62, who later played Lucy Moran in the TV series Twin Peaks.

MAESTRO CADENZA Stanley Tucci plays a new character, a human-turned-harpsichord.