26-year-old ‘Beauty & The Beast’ actress Emma Watson has just addressed allegations that she promotes Stockholm Syndrome in her new movie!
Watson disagrees with all of the accusations and says that she carefully chose the role of Belle in order to not portray Belle as a VICTIM. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Watson says: “It’s something I really grappled with at the beginning: the Stockholm-syndrome question. That’s where a prisoner will take on the characteristics of and fall in love with the captor. Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly.”
She continues: “She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm syndrome because she keeps her independence; she keeps that freedom of thought. I also think there is a very intentional switch where, in my mind, Belle decides to stay. She’s giving him hell. There is no sense of ‘I need to kill this guy with kindness.’ Or any sense that she deserves this. In fact, she gives as good as she gets. He bangs on the door, she bangs back. There’s this defiance that ‘You think I’m going to come and eat dinner with you and I’m your prisoner – absolutely not.’”