Luke Evans was cast last year as the villain Gaston in the "Beauty and the Beast" live action adaptation, but Hugh Jackman played the character in the Broadway production in the early 90s. In a recent guest appearance on a TV talk show, the two Gastons met and squared off by breaking into a song.
Evans and Jackman did an impromptu rendition of the song "Gaston" from "Beauty and the Beast" in U.K.'s "The Jonathan Ross Show" March 21. Ross asked them to do a Gaston face-off to see who was better at playing the part and the actors gamely stepped up.
The song is a pivotal scene in "Beauty and the Beast" as it describes who Gaston is. The brawny and vain macho villain pursues Belle in the story and resents her closeness with the Beast.
Singing, "No one's slick as Gaston, no one's quick as Gaston," Evans and Jackman showed off their vocal prowess and did some bits typical of their character - such as flexing their muscles and spitting. The two actors appeared to be having a great time doing the sing-off, but it was hard to tell who was actually better. The audience seemed to love both of them and even "Kingsman" star Taron Egerton, who was also a guest that night, got up and sang.
Watch Luke Evans and Hugh Jackman belt out "Gaston" in this video:
Meanwhile, filming for "Beauty and the Beast" wrapped up last year, but the movie is scheduled to hit theaters on March 17, 2017. The film stars Emma Watson as the beauty, Belle, and Dan Stevens as the Beast. Other cast members include Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Klein, Audra McDonald and Josh Gad.
Evan Spiliotopoulos and Stephen Chbosky adapted the live action screenplay for "Beauty and the Beast," which retained the songs originally scored by Alan Menken. The cartoon version, which Disney released in 1991, was a multi-awarded production. It was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in 1992.
