New US series Beauty And The Beast stars Kristin Kreuk of Smallville as Detective Catherine Chandler and Jay Ryan as The Beast, Vincent Keller. After Catherine witnesses her mother’s murder as a teenager, she was rescued by a mysterious creature and nine years later, a case leads her right back to him. The show is loosely inspired by the 1987 CBS series of the same name, starring Linda Hamilton, and is finally coming to the UK. We caught up with star Kristin Kreuk to find out more…
How does Catherine rationalise her relationship with Vincent?
“After Catherine’s mom dies her sense of justice is incredibly profound. Vincent is the ultimate injustice in her mind. She sees a man who has gone through so much and even though she knows he’s not right for her, deep down she knows she can’t walk away from him.
What similarities do Catherine and Vincent share?
“They both want to help other people to avoid the tragedies they both went through. As their relationship develops and they become more relaxed in each other’s company, we start to see their humorous sides come out as they become more playful with one another.”
How important is the procedural element on Beauty And The Beast?
“The crime element of the show is prevalent in every episode and provides an interesting take on the traditional story of Beauty And The Beast. We have two female cops that work together who are kind of opposites, so this does end up providing a lot of the show’s humour.”
Are there universal themes in Beauty And The Beast that international audiences can relate to?
“Beauty And The Beast is about love. A love you build with somebody over time despite difficulties. It’s about looking past a person’s looks and chequered past to see their inner beauty.”
Is there an item from Catherine’s wardrobe that you feel identifies your character?
“Catherine is interesting because she is not a style girl. So for her it’s all about practicality. Catherine has a relaxed attitude to fashion, but she likes comfort above all things – a good flat boot so you can run and hurt people if you need to.”
What has been the fan reaction to Beauty And The Beast?
“People are already very intense about the show and we’ve only aired five episodes in America and Canada so they’re responding well so far. They love Catherine and Vincent together. They like all the mythology and they want to know how everything develops. They’re rooting for the characters to be together, which is great, so they seem to like it”
Beauty And The Beast is available now from Paramount Home Entertainment.
