Los Angeles, March 19 (IANS): Actor Luke Evans almost turned down the role of Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast" but changed his mind after watching the Disney cartoon with his godchildren.

The 37-year-old says he almost said no to the part because he wasn't sure about it, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"It took a couple of tries by my agents to get me in for 'Beauty and the Beast' because I hadn't really watched the animated movie for a very long time and I had forgotten how great the journey of Gaston is,"Evan said.

"You see all the facets of the character, from the loveable rogue to the buffoon to the jealous, revengeful sort of monster that he becomes by the end of the movie. So, it actually took me sitting down and watching the cartoon with my godchildren which made me see how brilliant the role was and that I totally should do it," he added.

The actor, who is mostly known for playing grey, dark and villainous roles says he is comfortable singing as it it is like "therapy to him".

"I'll sing to anybody at any time, at anything, I will just sing. I love to sing. It was a joy for me to finally get to do it on the big screen in such a wonderful vehicle as Beauty and the Beast, playing this character with those songs. It was magic," he said.