Emma Watson, the lead star of the Disney live-action "Beauty and the Beast," was once considered to play the lead in "La La Land." But due to her involvement in the live-action movie, the actress had to turn it down.

Now, the "Harry Potter" alum has opened up the reason why she decided to play as Belle instead of the aspiring actress, Mia Dolan. Emma Watson, on her talk with ITV's Lorraine, revealed that the main reason was the conflict in schedule, Daily Mail UK reported. The film took three months to prepare, three or four months for the filming and it was all done in the United Kingdom, she said.

Because of the tight schedule in "Beauty and the Beast," Emma Watson had to drop her other projects that would cause complications. The 26-year-old actress then added that she has to either be in or out in the project. "And I was like I've kind of got to be all in and so this was really where my heart was," she said.

Emma Watson's preparations to play as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" were rather hectic, Entertainment Weekly reported. She had to train horse riding, study dancing and she had to take singing for three months, the actress revealed on Friday's SiriusXM Town Hall. "I knew I had to do the work, and I had to be where I had to be," she added.

The role of Mia was eventually given to Emma Stone after Emma Watson turns down the project for the Disney film. "La La Land" won many awards at the recent Academy Awards including Best Actress (Emma Stone) and Best Director (Damien Chazelle), as seen on IMDB. It also received several nominations for the Oscars like Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Picture, Best Sound Mixing and Best Costume Design.

Tags: Emma Watson La La Land Beauty and the Beast Emma Stone