Emma Watson has just dropped the truth about why she missed out on the role of a lifetime in La La Land—and it all comes down to timing. While she was once rumored to star opposite Miles Teller in Damien Chazelle’s hit musical, things took a turn, and Emma Stone ended up dancing into the role of Mia instead. So, what happened?
In an interview with SiriusXM’s Town Hall, Watson explained why she had to pass on La La Land. She was already locked into another significant role—playing Belle in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. “It’s one of these frustrating things where names get attached to projects very early,” Watson explained, “but nothing’s set in stone.” The problem? She couldn’t juggle both roles.
Watson was aware that stepping into Beauty and the Beast meant a lot of hard work. “I had horse training, I had dancing, I had three months of singing ahead of me,” she said, pointing out that this wasn’t a movie she could parachute into. Her commitment to Beauty and the Beast meant she had to be in London, focus, and do the necessary prep work. Put: “Scheduling conflict-wise, it just didn’t work out.”
This casting change wasn’t a massive surprise for director Chazelle, who also spoke about La La Land’s back-and-forth journey to the big screen. “The casting of this movie during the six years it took to get made went through lots of permutations,” he shared, adding that both Watson and Teller were attached at one point, only for those plans to shift as the movie took shape. Ultimately, we got La La Land as we know it—starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling—so who’s complaining?
Despite missing out on the role, Watson’s love for musicals hasn’t faded. She’s pumped about their resurgence. “I’m so thrilled that musicals are so celebrated at the moment!” she said. With audiences reconnecting with music, singing, and dancing, it’s clear she’s all in on the musical magic, even if it wasn’t in La La Land.
So, while Watson might not have been part of one of the decade’s most iconic musical films, she’s still riding high. And we’re sure fans are just as excited to see her in Beauty and the Beast, which was a massive hit. But who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll catch her in a musical again.
