UNITED STATES: Harry Potter’s actress Emma Watson prefers Belle over Cinderella. She turned down the role of Disney princess Cinderella. According to sources, she turned down the offer for the role of Cinderella long before she knew that there was going to be a Beauty and the Beast movie. “I didn’t know they were going to makeBeauty and the Beastat the time I turned downCinderella.” “But when they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did,” she added. Emma Watson expressed that she finds Belle to be a better role model than Cinderella. “She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that’s the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice.” UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson disclosed that even a Disney princess’s story is all about power and freedom, where she looks for a fierce persona within the character that represents the strength of women in general. “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. 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.” Emma informed sources that she has had concerns about the original script. She was assured by the director Bill Condon as they collaborated on the story line, turning Belle into an inventor, like her father Maurice. “The core DNA of Belle is a feminist,” Emma Watson concluded.The movie Beauty and The Beast is set to release in March.