Filipino-Americans H.E.R. and Jon Jon Briones will take part in the 30th anniversary special of Disney's Beauty and the Beast


The 25-year-old five-time Grammy winner H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson in real life) couldn't believe she will be the first Afro-American-Filipino Belle. “I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle! I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.” Jon Jon Briones, for his part, said: “I love that this announcement came out during Filipino American History Month. A Filipina and a Filipino representing. And what an amazing and diverse cast! Plus my kids think I’m really cool to be playing @hermusicofficial ‘s father!”

Photos: @hermusicofficial / @jonjonbriones

The 25-year-old five-time Grammy winner H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson in real life) couldn’t believe she will be the first Afro-American-Filipino Belle. “I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle! I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.” Jon Jon Briones, for his part, said: “I love that this announcement came out during Filipino American History Month. A Filipina and a Filipino representing. And what an amazing and diverse cast! Plus my kids think I’m really cool to be playing @hermusicofficial ‘s father!”

Two world-class Filipino-American performers will be seen in the 30th anniversary special of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: Grammy and Oscar winner H.E.R. will portray Belle and one of the original Miss Saigon cast members Jon Jon Briones will play Belle’s father and inventor, Maurice.

The special was originally announced at the beginning of July. Alongside the screening of the film, it will include live never-before-seen musical performances and will feature brand-new sets and costumes inspired by the classic story. Each performance is created to pay homage while also adding to the iconic story for viewers at home.

The TV special will air on December 15 on ABC and will be available for streaming on Disney+ the following day.

Songs from the original animated classic will be performed in front of a live audience at Disney Studios, though the special will not be shot live. Jon M. Chu is executive producing with Hamish Hamilton onboard to direct.

H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson in real life) couldn’t believe she will be the first Afro-American-Filipino Belle.

“I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle! I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

The 25-year old singer is a five-time Grammy winner, including a win for song of the year for “I Can’t Breathe” in 2021 from her debut album “Back of My Mind.”  She is also an Academy Award winner for her song “Fight For You” from the critically-acclaimed film Judas And The Black Messiah. She will soon make her feature acting debut in the Warner Bros. adaptation of The Color Purple.

“With her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence, H.E.R. is the perfect embodiment of our Belle and we are thrilled for audiences to see her in this celebration of creativity. We were both influenced as storytellers by the original animated movie, so it’s very exciting to collaborate together to honor the artistry of that timeless classic while also inspiring a whole new generation of creators,” says Chu.

Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr., known as Jon Jon Briones, is one the original London cast member of Miss Saigon that first opened in 1989 at London’s West End. The 57-year old actor started as part of the ensemble until he was able to play the lead role of the Engineer. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2014.

Briones is now known for his roles on various TV series such as The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Ratched, Star Trek: Picard, Transformers: EarthSpark, and The Last Voyage of Demeter. He was also the voice of Hank/Xa-mul in Netflix’s Trese.

Briones posted on Instagram last October 18 the screenshot of an article that came out confirming his part in Beauty and the Beast. He captioned it: “I love that this announcement came out during Filipino American History Month. A Filipina and a Filipino representing. And what an amazing and diverse cast! Plus my kids think I’m really cool to be playing @hermusicofficial ‘s father!”

Also in the all-star cast of Beauty and the Beast are Josh Groban as the Beast, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Martin Short as Lumiere, David Alan Grier as Cogsworth, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, Leo Abelo Perry as Chip, Rizwan Manji as LeFou and Rita Moreno as the narrator.

Jon Chu, who directed In the Heights, and Crazy Rich Asians, will helm the special.

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is produced by Done+Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. Executive producers are Chu, Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan. H.E.R. serves as producer.

Beauty and the Beast was released in late 1991 and went on to achieve considerable box office and critical acclaim. In 1992, it became the first animated film to be nominated for the Oscar for best picture. It ultimately won two Oscars — one for best original score and another for best original song.

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