Filipino father and daughter to be featured in Beauty and the Beast television special

H.E.R. and Jon Jon Briones will be father and daughter in Beauty and the Beast.

When it was announced that H.E.R. would play Belle in the 30th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast, speculation began whether the singer's racial background would be part of the revamping of the children's classic. Would she be Black? Would she be Filipino? Would her race be buried in ambiguity?

We need wonder no more. The question was answered with the casting of Filipino American Broadway veteran Jon Jon Briones as Belle's father, Maurice.

“I love that this announcement came out during Filipino American History Month," said Briones. 

"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!”

H.E.R., also known as Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, takes on the lead role as Belle for the celebration. This will be the singer's first major acting role. However, she has been a known name in the music business for a while. She's already an accomplished performer with five Grammy awards, and also earned her first Oscar at the 2021 Academy Awards. It was Best Original Song for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah.

In the Broadway musical version of Beauty and the Beast, Maurice became a major character and given a solo number as well as a duet with Belle.

Briones, whose main introduction to American audiences was in dramatic roles, is no stranger to musicals. He 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 better 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.

The 30th Anniversary of Beauty and the Beast  special was originally announced in July. Alongside a screening of the 1992 film, it will include never-before-seen live musical performances and features brand-new sets and costumes inspired by the classic story. Each live performance is created to pay homage while also adding to the iconic story.

Songs from the original animated classic will be performed in front of a live audience at Disney Studios, though the special itself will not be shot live. The special will air on ABC on Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. ET and will be available to stream the following day on Disney+.

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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.” 

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.

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!”