On just a personal level, since I was little, I've loved fairytales, especially this one, because it is about what goes into making a beast a beast. Do you start as a beast? Do you turn into a beast because of the way that people treat you? I think it's something that is really universal and hit a chord with me when I was little, and so, hopefully we can explore some of that.
We've tried to use some visual motifs [in Beauty and the Beast]. As far as the cinematography and the lensing and all that, we are presenting a different view into that world. It's a little sleeker, but we're keeping the gothic feel underneath it.
What was interesting to me was how they actually went to 9/11 and they chose that as part of his back story that we can unravel because it's something that people have shied away from for very obvious reasons. The opportunity to deal with some of that aftermath and the sensitivity, we can use that, and it will be a really neat thing.
It's main storytelling hell because it's really hard to keep a secret. It's really hard to not communicate. But I think that's what's great about this world is it's a world where he is off the grid, and for me, it's a way to step back.
