How Dan Stevens Transformed into Beast. If you pay close attention to Dan Stevens Beast in Beauty and the Beast, you might be able to see some of the hard work the actor put into the performance like waltzing on stilts and wearing a 4. Ultimately we went for a fusion of technologies, the former Downton Abbey star tells PEOPLE of what it took to make him appear and act like the huge, hirsute character. It was traditional motion capture and puppeteering of a big muscle suit on stilts. I was inside this 4. Stevens wore the bodysuit and performed the role on stilts, first so that the size and movements of the character were captured on set during filming, and then again for the visual effects teams so that his face was captured and later computer animated with the Beasts hair and fangs. Disney. For more on Dan Stevens and Beauty and the Beast, pick up this weeks issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now. And check out Entertainment Weeklys special edition The Ultimate Guide to Beauty and the Beast,on sale now. Entertainment WeeklyEvery couple of weeks I would go into a special booth and my face would be sprayed with about 1. UV dots and I would sit in what I used to call the Tron cage, he says. Anything Id been doing in the previous two weeks in the scenes, whether it was eating, sleeping, roaring, waltzing, I did it again with my face, with Emma Watson sitting on the other side of the cage and we would capture the Beasts face. The British actor adds that he and director Bill Condon, along with the effects team, went that extra mile with facial capture in order for audiences to be able to see Beasts human qualities. It was very important for Bill and for me in telling the story, and in portraying whats essentially a romantic lead character, to have the sensitivity in that close up to preserve the eyes which are the last human element of the Beast, he says. Its never really been used this way before. It felt very pioneering. Watch Tout En Haut Du Monde Online. From Coinage The Cost of Beauty and the Beasts Wedding Registry. And how, exactly, did Stevens master walking and waltzing in stiltsYouve just got to get in em, start moving around Stevens says with a laugh. Fortunately we had about three months of pre production for rehearsals, learning the songs, the dances. Initially with the waltz I learned the steps on the ground and graduated to the stilts, which was slightly terrifying for me but probably more for Emma. I think she was very worried that I was going to tread on her toes in steel stilts, which couldve ruined the movie, but I didnt, so Im very proud of that. Stevens says he spent roughly two hours a day practicing the Beasts movements in his stilts and the muscle suit. I would have a studio to move around in and explore lots of different aspects of the Beast, he says. With the size and mass and shape of the Beast, so yeah, it was a whole combination of things vocal exploration, dance, singing, movement, the whole package of challenges, really. The stilt walking was Stevens favorite of his Beast acquired skills. I dont know if Ill ever use that again. But its there if anybody wants me to, I can. S6wmoKj1O2Pv2MuQaWynUJp79.jpg' alt='Whole Charming Movie Online ' title='Whole Charming Movie Online ' />Read the Empire review of Handsome Devil. Find out everything you need to know about the film from the worlds biggest movie destination. E Entertainment Television, LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal with news, shows, photos, and videos.