BBC article on Ballet Shoes..latest.

Set in Thirties London, Ballet Shoes, a one-off film for BBC One, tells the exhilarating tale of orphans Pauline (Emma Watson), Petrova (Yasmin Paige) and Posy Fossil (Lucy Boynton) who are adopted by an eccentric explorer, Great Uncle Matthew (Richard Griffiths), and raised as sisters by his selfless niece, Sylvia (Emilia Fox), under the guidance of Nana (Victoria Wood). The film also stars Dame Eileen Atkins as ballet teacher Madame Fidolia.

The timeless and uplifting story revolves around each girl's struggle to fulfil her dreams: Pauline longs to be an actress, Petrova yearns to be an aviator and Posy seems born to be a ballerina.

fllwg is abt Emma only..

Casting Pauline proved toughest of all. Heidi reveals: "We saw every blonde actress in London, and not one of them was right." In desperation, Wenger and Goldbacher arranged an open casting session. More than a hundred girls turned up - and none of them fitted the bill. "It was like a nightmare," says Heidi. "There were women in their twenties turning up in ankle socks."

When Emma Watson expressed an interest in the role, Wenger, Heidi and Goldbacher were delighted. Emma arranged to meet Sandra Goldbacher over a cup of tea, and there was an instant chemistry between them.

"Emma was perfect for Pauline," reports Goldbacher. "She has a piercing, delicate aura that makes you want to gaze and gaze at her." Emma was intrigued by the part; Pauline's experience as a child actress who becomes a movie star had some parallels with her own.

Emma comments: "I was all set to go back to school after finishing Harry Potter but couldn't resist Ballet Shoes. I really loved it; it felt so funny and real. It was also beautifully written." She adds that a scene that had most resonance for her takes place the night before the première of Pauline's first film. Pauline weeps: "Tomorrow night, my face is going to be blown up as big as a house, and everyone will find me out!"

According to Heidi, Emma need not fear. "Emma's performance in Ballet Shoes is a revelation," she comments. "She is maturing rapidly as a young woman and as an actress – her work is sensitive, subtle and intelligent."

Heidi adds: "She is also incredibly hardworking. Our schedule was murderous, and she never once complained, even when she was white with exhaustion." Insiders also noticed a refreshing lack of vanity - Emma agreed to play one scene with her hair in bright blue curlers. "She looked a complete sight but she just got on with it," laughs Heidi.

Nevertheless, Pauline grows into a beautiful teenager in the course of the story, and, when Emma came on set to film her final scenes, she was wearing her first-ever coating of rich, red lipstick. "There were gasps," says Heidi. "We suddenly got a sense of the great beauty Emma is likely to become - and it was breathtaking."