Actor Robby Benson in Leather Jacket (Photo by Merry Alpern/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
8. Robby Benson was an unexpected leading man
Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale did eventually gain more confidence, thanks in part to working with a strong cast that included veteran actor Angela Lansbury. But not all the actors involved were clear choices for the part. Some needed a little imagination to fit them into the world of the film.
Leading man Robby Benson was one of those unusual choices. At the time, the young actor was best known for playing earnest characters that were almost too sensitive. He had earlier starred in the 1981 film The Chosen, based on the book by writer Chaim Potok. Though the film got middling reviews, The New York Times said that Benson played a character “full of a gentle inquisitiveness that cannot help but win the audience’s sympathy”.
Those working on Beauty and the Beast needed some convincing. Kirk Wise later recalled that his audition tape finally showed what Benson could do. “ tape just blew us away. His voice was an amazing combination of vulnerability and anger. The first time we heard it, we said, ‘I can hear the human being inside of the animal.’ He managed to play the animal side against the human side, and there was this melancholic quality to his performance. He was finding layers that went well beyond the actual dialogue.” (Tale as Old As Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast).
Benson’s voice work was layered over with a series of recorded and mixed animal noises, such as growls and howls. At points, it made him almost unrecognizable. His unadulterated voice is briefly heard during the “Something There” number, as he’s narrating the Beast’s thoughts. You also hear it during the end, after his transformation.