Beauty and the Beast Facts
7 Things You Might Not Know About Beauty and the Beast, Straight From Lefou Himself
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Earlier this year, Disney announced that its masterpiece Beauty and the Beast was officially being welcomed into the Walt Disney Signature Collection — just in time for its 25th anniversary. To celebrate, on Sept. 20, it released a special edition of the film, featuring all kinds of fun extras.
Before you race to the store to purchase every copy (we're right behind you), we have a few secrets to share with you. During a recent phone interview with POPSUGAR Latina, Jesse Corti, the Venezuelan-born actor who voices Lefou (Gaston's sidekick), shed a little light on what it was like to be a part of such a major film — from the casting process to now. Keep scrolling to discover seven things you might not know about this iconic love story, straight from Jesse himself. Then, remember all the Spanish versions of Disney songs that basically defined your childhood.
1 Disney Had 2 Major Requirements When Casting
"At the time, I was playing Courfeyrac in Les Misérables on Broadway. [Disney] was looking for Broadway singers who could act — or actors who could sing — and they wanted to keep the same actor doing both things."
2 The Audition Process Was Similar to Broadway
"[There were] 30 people there, you had to come in with a song — an up-tempo, a ballad — then you had to read the sides. Then, you had callbacks, and you didn't hear back from them for a long time. Then, they come back and say try this, try that, and you read for all the different parts. I didn't just read for Lefou, so I didn't know which one they were interested in. When they finally came back at the end and said 'We're really interested for you for Lefou,' I thought that was great. I love that part."
3 Jesse Plays Lefou in Both Spanish and English
"As far as I know, I think I'm the only actor in the Disney movie that does the part in both languages."
4 Lefou Is What He Calls a "Yes and" Character
"[Lefou] is like the secondary villain, in a sense. He incites Gaston — he incites the crowd — and he's also loved. He is Gaston's servant. As an actor, we learn to 'yes and' when we're doing improv in acting scenes. We're trying to help the other actor and 'yes and' him. So for Lefou, it was a very 'yes and' part. For me, it was fun, because even though he gets hit, kicked, and punched, he's still very positive about his care for Gaston, because Gaston is the greatest."
5 Disney Transformed Disney World For the Actors
"After we had done all the work — all the recording — I went to Disney World. Disney [transformed] a certain area in the park and made it look like the town that Belle was from. You had the baker, the place with the horses, the carriages, and all the townspeople . . . Lefou and everybody, and the characters came to life."
6 Jesse Knew It Was an Important Piece
"When I went to the New York Film Festival, they showed it, and it got a standing ovation. Then, when it was nominated for an Oscar for the first time, it was one of the five movies for the best picture — and it was an animated film. I knew that we were in for something really, really good."
7 The New DVD Has Bonus Footage
"The new signature collection Blu-ray combo pack ($25) has over five additional hours of mini documentaries and interview sessions with some of the writers of other shows like Frozen and Aladdin. It's reintroducing, after 25 years, this masterpiece. You're going to be able to see it in, like, three different versions of the original as well."
