VIDEO: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST's Luke Evans Talks New Songs, Singing Live on Set & More

In an interview with Collider at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST star Luke Evans shared his excitement over the upcoming live action Disney film, his chemistry with his co-star Josh Gad, singing live on set, and the two new songs which will be featured in the film.

Evans explained that while they pre-recorded the songs for the movie, the actors also performed them live on set to offer more options when the footage hits the editing room. "We pre-recorded every, but some of us sang live on set as well, during the takes. We were mic'd and they recorded that and I think afterwords, in sound, they'll be able to chose whether the live version is better than the pre-recorded version. We'll never know! But I'm a singer, so I've always been used to singing live on stage, doing eight shows a week for a year or more. So I'm very used to not miming. I've never mimed in my life, so I didn't mime, I sang full out every take to my own voice in the background. So did Josh [Gad]. Josh and I really loved every minute of it, we're proper theater lovers, me and Josh."

Evans also shared his thoughts on the new songs from original composer Alan Menken, and how well they fit into the original soundtrack. "I'm lucky enough to be one of the first people in the world to hear those two songs, which will become songs that children will sing, adults will sing, people in musicals will end up singing them at some point, they'll become audition piece, they will become part of this amazing legacy of a film we already have, a story that is so ingrained in our - in my childhood memory."

He continues, "These two songs. They're beautiful, they complement everything so well, but they are incredibly unique and different. And the thought and love that has gone into those two songs honor the work of the original so well. It will be a nice thing, especially for the fans, to hear these two new songs on top of what we already have."

Speaking on his co-star Josh Gad, who plays Gaston sidekick Le Fou, Evans raves, "Josh Gad lives for improv, but what's wonderful about Josh Gad - he's a funny man, but he's an incredibly sensitive actor, and at no point was it "The Josh Gad Show". Josh is so funny, but he's so generous as an actor that he helped me be funny many, many times. He's a very, very generous man. And we're a duo. We want people to love Gaston and Le Fou, and we didn't have to try, because I love Josh."

"Beauty and the Beast" hits theaters March 17, 2017.

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