Emma Watson in La La Land? Ryan Gosling as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast?! It may sound like the reality of an alternate universe, but lo and behold, this was almost exactly what went down.
Last night during the Golden Globes, Mental Floss posted side-by-side screen caps from both of the movies on Twitter, revealing this very fact. Emma and Ryan passed up on each of those movies in favor of the ones they ended up starring in.
Two years ago (yikes, 2015 was two years ago now!) rumors were swirling that Ryan was being considered to take the lead role in the Disney live-action remake. It was already known that Emma Stone had replaced Emma Watson for La La Land, as Watson chose the role of Belle over that of struggling actress Mia. (Not everyone can play a Disney princess, and doing so is definitely the opportunity of a lifetime!)
It's amazing to consider how different some of our all time favorite movies would be if execs had only chosen one actor or actress over another – or better yet, if someone hadn't passed up one role for the sake of another. And this isn't to say that one casting choice was inherently better than another, and though we are certain that Emma and Ryan would have been great either way, we're all pretty happy with the way things worked out. (It's safe to say they are, too: Ryan won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of jazz musician Sebastian in La La Land, and the entire internet is buzzing after hearing Emma sing in the new Beauty and the Beast trailer.)
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