Luke Evans Reveals Why He’s Not Afraid To Take On The Role Of A Villain

Luke Evans has taken on several villainous roles in the past, such as Owen Shaw in “Fast & the Furious 6,” Scott Hopewell in “The Girl on the Train” and Richard Wilder in “High-Rise.”

He will become a villain once again by playing Gaston in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” When asked how he feels about being typecast as a villain, Evans told Harper’s Bazaar that it’s all about balance.

“At the end of the day, the big films you do are the ones you get remembered for, and some of the big ones I've done are the bad guy— ‘The Fast and the Furious’ [and] Gaston will be a big one,” he said. “But I played Bard the Bowman in ‘The Hobbit,’ and I'm remembered for him quite heavily around the world. It's a balance.”

Evans is confident that his Gaston would be unforgettable, and it’s because he gave it his all in playing the character. “There's a personality there which sort of is the epitome of a self absorbed, narcissistic, chauvinistic pig of a man, [but] it wasn't a bad thing. If you're going to play an absolute idiot like him, then do it well,” he said.

Read: Luke Evans talks about his Gaston in ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Evans added that his co-star Josh Gad, who plays Gaston’s loyal sidekick LeFou, even helped his character become funnier. “He's a legend. I love him. He's funny. He's kind. He wants to share the laughter. He doesn't always want to be just the punchline guy,” he said. “He wants to share the punchline, so he was very generous in setting up a lot of my punchlines, as I did to him.”

One of the things fans are really looking forward to seeing is Gad and Evans singing “Gaston” in a village pub. It’s reminiscent of the song performed in the Disney animated film, and it will surely take fans on a trip down memory lane.