Luke Evans Reveals What It's Like Traveling Italy With Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler
You may remember him as the daft and arrogant Gaston from Disney’s recent remake of "Beauty and the Beast," or you may remember him fondly as the heroic Bard from "The Hobbit," but one thing is for certain: actor Luke Evans is simply memorable, no matter what character he plays.
And his newest role as narrator for Stella Artois’ STELLASPACE might be his most unforgettable yet, lending his voice — and his clever anecdotes — in the form of an audio guide to help enhance the experience of imbibing your favorite beer.
Spirits aside, we chatted with Evans and found out what it’s been like shooting in Italy with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler for their upcoming Netflix comedy, "Murder Mystery," the one travel essential that’s been around the world with him, and which Disney character he dreams of having as his travel partner. (Spoiler: It's not Belle.)
What has been your favorite filming location and why?
Well, I think maybe the one I’m in right now would be quite near the top of the list. I’ve been shooting this comedy ["Murder Mystery"] with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in Italy, and we’ve been shooting in Portofino, which is exquisitely beautiful. And now we’re in Lake Como, which is another beautiful part of Italy. The weather is beautiful, and I’m getting a lot of downtime so I should get to enjoy the place as much as I’m enjoying the job as well.
I think next to that would be New Zealand, where I shot "The Hobbit." Because I was there for such a long time, it’s sort of my second home there, really, and it’s such a beautiful place and the people are so nice. I miss that place a lot.
Speaking of "Murder Mystery," what has it been like shooting with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in Italy? Have you had time to do any touristy activities together?
They’re working every day, so they’ve got quite a heavy schedule. We’ve had a few nice dinners, but they’re working quite intensely. I’ve been quite lucky — I’ve got a few days off here and there so I got to go out on a lake on a boat, and I had my family come over and celebrate a wedding anniversary, and I have some friends coming out next week. Everybody wants to come and visit — they never want to come and visit when you’re not in a nice place, but when you’re in a nice place, everybody wants to come and visit you, including your agent!
I know you also celebrated your birthday in Rome this past April. Was there any spot in particular during that trip that was memorable?
Yes, I took my 20 friends and family with me, and I took them all to the Colosseum which was very special. There were lovely people there, we had a lovely guide. And for most of those people I took, it was their first time in Rome, so it was definitely their first time to see the Colosseum. It’s such a magical place and it’s so majestic. Even though it’s a ruin now, you can still appreciate the size of it and the fact that they could fit 80,000 people two-and-a-half-thousand years ago, it’s still quite impressive. That was a lovely moment. And the food, obviously!
What is the one item you can’t leave home without when traveling?
Quite a few things. I have a Coach toiletry leather bag which has all of my essentials which I always travel with everywhere — it’s traveled the whole world with me. And my iPhone, tragically.
Mountains, beach, or desert?
Beach all the way. You can go for a walk, you can go for a swim, you can catch some fish, you can make sand castles, and you can get a tan. I’m a beach baby, really.
You’re originally from South Wales — do you find yourself missing anything from your hometown that you just can’t find anywhere else?
Well, my mum and dad’s back garden is very, very nice. It’s very sweet and innocent, and in the summer they spend most of their time in the garden and I always enjoyed sitting out there with them, lighting a bonfire and sitting by the fire as the sun’s going down, watching the stars, and looking for satellites. I miss that a bit.
Where do you think Gaston and Belle would have honeymooned if they'd actually worked out in "Beauty and the Beast?"
Oh God. Well, if Gaston was in charge of it, they’d probably stay in the village! I don’t think he would leave. I think the reason why he loves that village so much is because he’s a star there, but outside of that place, nobody really knows who he is. So I think he’d just make the celebrations go on, have a sort of semi-Indian wedding, you know how they go on for weeks, and he’d just basically keep having more and more parties and they wouldn’t end up going away at all.
If Belle was in charge of the honeymoon, then they probably would have gone somewhere romantic and beautiful and far away, so I guess it depends on who booked it. And LeFou would obviously have to go with them as well; that would be a threesome relationship for poor, poor Belle.
Who would be the one Disney character you’d want to travel with?
I guess Dumbo would be quite fun to travel with, because he’d be able to fly and we can go anywhere. He could just carry me on his back. Aladdin as well with his magic carpet. Basically, my Disney dream is to be able to fly.