It was quite a thrill for O’Hara to voice the character of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and she is excited for the new live action remake, starring Emma Watson. She shared that Beauty and the Beast was the last animation that was hand-drawn. “The animators told me that typically it would take an entire week to draw 20 seconds of film. That’s why the movie took four years to make,” she said. “As an artist, I really miss the hand-drawn animations and I hope they bring them back soon.”
She added, “Disney came to my home and filmed a documentary about my life that was moving and touching, and I am very proud of that.”
Aside from being a talented actress and singer, O’Hara is an accomplished painter as well, and she revealed that she has been painting since three years old. Her impressive artwork is available on her official homepage.
For O’Hara, the key to longevity in the entertainment industry is “being open and creating opportunities.” “It’s all good. I took a little break from singing for a while and I’m now getting offers to get back on stage. I’m doing a little thing at Caesars Palace for Valentine’s Day,” she said.
“My fans are the greatest in the whole wide world,” she said, graciously. “I am so amazed that all these years later (25 years) they are responding and loving the movie. A lot of my fans that grew up with the movie are now adults, and I want to thank them for being loyal and so supportive of me. I really appreciate that so much. To be able to create something that is going to be out there long after I’m gone, is a wonderful legacy.”
O’Hara defined the word success as “Having a wonderful relationship with my husband, friends and family.” “I am so blessed to have wonderful friends and family. In my career, success is setting goals for yourself, and if you can achieve one of them, that is considered success. Growing up, my biggest dream was to star on Broadway, and I did that at 24 years old, and I wanted to get better in my craft, and ultimately paint as well and be a successful artist,” she said.