Hollywood star and valleys-born actor Luke Evans has told of the time he nearly walked away from the role that propelled his career to new heights.
Evans, who is from Aberbargoed , revealed on today's Sunday Brunch that he turned down the role of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast three times because he didn't think it was for him.
The 2017 live-action version of the Disney musical saw Evans become a household name. The 40-year-old actor had previously starred in blockbusters like The Hobbit trilogy as Bard the Bowman and Fast and Furious 6, but it was as Gaston took his film career to the next level.
He told Sunday Brunch hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer why he thought Gaston - the villain in the story - wasn't for him.
"I really wanted to be able to merge my singing career with my film career which was going well and I didn't know whether Gaston was the right role for that.
"My best mate said 'mate, Gaston's a brilliant role.' So we watched it with the kinds one Sunday and I watched this character, and I'd turned it down three times. I wanted to play the Beast, but they'd cast the Beast.
"But then I saw it and I thought 'I'm going to make them love me then absolutely despise Gaston!"
Evans, who is currently starring in Roland Emmerich's blockbuster, Midway, opposite Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore and Dennis Quaid, was on the show to talk about his new album, At Last.
A regular on the West End stage at the start of his career, Evans sings a series of covers of the album and recently appeared on the Children in Need Got it Covered album.
