Beauty and the Beast star Brendan Xavier tells of his journey from the footy field to the stage

A sporting injury changed the course of sports-mad Brendan Xavier’s life but he’s embraced his unexpected journey from the footy field to the stage.

A career in musical theatre couldn’t have been further from the mind of a young Brendan Xavier.

Growing up in western Sydney, the sports-mad teen felt most at home on a footy field, and harboured dreams of playing professionally for AFL powerhouse the Sydney Swans.

But a cruel injury blow would change the trajectory of Xavier’s life – and eventually lead him towards a starring role in Disney’s iconic musical, Beauty and the Beast.

“I really loved sports growing up. I played AFL all my life, from Auskick to about 15 years old when I broke a bunch of bones in my foot and couldn’t play anymore,” he says.

“I always think about it … I still watch the AFL now and wish I was out there. I’m beyond happy to be where I am but it’s funny how life sort of happens. You’ve just got to grab it and go along for the ride.”

Three years ago, Xavier landed his first leading role as the terrifying-yet-complex Beast, in the new Australian version of the Broadway blockbuster.

Shubshri Kandiah and Brendan Xavier in Disney's Beauty and The Beast the musical. Picture: Supplied by Disney

Actor Brendan Xavier backstage. Picture: David Swift

Based on the 1991 animated movie, the beloved stage musical, also starring Shubshri Kandiah as Belle, is now heading to Adelaide in May for a two-month season at the Festival Theatre.

Xavier says the grand-scale production – complete with jaw dropping magic, special effects plus original music from Alan Menken and Tim Rice – will blow audiences away.

“It’s exceeded my expectations. I’ve never been a part of something so huge,” he says.

“The manpower it takes to put on a show of this size in unfathomable. Seeing it for the first time, hearing the orchestra, watching the (special) effects for the first time … it was amazing, and quite intimidating.

“Being a part of a show that’s so well-known and being responsible for telling that story is overwhelming – daunting even.”

Despite inauspicious beginnings, Xavier, 27, is a rising star of the Australian stage.

He was in the ensemble of another Disney classic, Frozen, when producers started casting Beauty and the Beast in 2022.

“When I heard it was coming, I hesitated a bit because I wasn’t sure what character I could possibly play. I didn’t pick myself as the Beast,” he says.

A chat with his agent convinced Xavier that he might have something to offer in the titular role.

Shubshri Kandiah and Brendan Xavier in Disney's Beauty and The Beast the musical. Picture: Daniel Boud

Xavier, pictured with co-star Shubshri Kandiah, was a sports-mad teenager. Picture: Jason Edwards

“I love the character of the Beast, and I realised I could bring a more youthful version to life,” he says.

“I knew I had the earnestness and the lover’s charm. But the challenge for me was finding the aggression and the anger. I’m a pretty chilled guy.”

The audition process was intense, with five separate sessions over a fortnight while on a brief hiatus from Frozen.

“Each time I had to sing a song, then sing it a different way, hold notes a little longer … then they give you three scenes to perform and they film everything. They treat it like a rehearsal basically,” Xavier says.

“They put you through the wringer to see if you can handle it. It was very intense and I was exhausted by the end of it.

“But getting that call to say I booked (the job) … it’s the best feeling you can have in theatre. I was over the moon.”

Xavier’s rapid ascent in the world of musical theatre has come as a surprise for those close to him – mainly because no one realised he could sing. In fact, his first “proper” lesson came just before Beauty and the Beast.

“I’ve always known how to sing. It comes so naturally to me, it’s as easy as breathing. But no one had ever heard me do it, including my family,” he says.

“The first time my family ever heard me perform was on a stage when I was 18.

“They were all quite shocked as I’d never sung in the car or at an event … it was a real surprise that I pursued this. It’s a shock to myself if I’m being honest.”

That production of Les Miserables, in his final year of high school, lit a fire in Xavier.

While he decided to drop out of music school the following year, the budding performer secured an agent and continued to audition for a host of theatre shows. To make ends meet, Xavier worked as a landscaper and gardener, among a series of odd jobs.

“I do miss the landscaping. I like the therapeutic nature of gardening, the repetitiveness, being outside. I really do miss it. It’s not off the table that I could go back to that,” he says wistfully.

While most of his peers have spent their childhood performing in plays and stage shows, Xavier’s unorthodox path to stardom has given him a unique perspective.

“I didn’t grow up doing dance and singing lessons, I haven’t been gunning for this my entire life. I found that I loved to sing when I left high school so only then I was like, ‘How can I turn this into a career?’” he says.

Xavier says he’s thrilled to star in stage version of Disney’s timeless classic. Picture: David Swift

“I feel incredibly privileged to be here doing what I’m doing but in the same breath, it feels like a job. It’s something that I want to do and enjoy doing but it’s not by any means my entire existence.

“If I don’t get another show, that’s okay. I’m excited to maybe go travel, see the world. I’ve always been so open to what the universe has to offer me.”

Yet Xavier isn’t taking anything for granted. He knows there’s something special about bringing the timeless Disney film to life for a new generation of fans.

“I grew up loving the music, loving the story … it was one of the first movies I ever watched,” he says.

“It’s really special that I get to be a part of this huge legacy that this show carries. So many people love it. Whether you’re a kid now or you grew up with it like me, everyone has a history with the show. It’s great that we get to bring that joy to people.”

The son of Indian and Dutch immigrants, Xavier is also mindful of the critical role he has in bringing more diversity to the stage.

“The representation wasn’t there when I was growing up. So some of the best parts of my job are seeing kids who look like me, dress like me, who want to meet me and say hello,” he says.

“It’s a great way to herald in a new generation of performers, one that is more diverse and represents the Australia that we have. And the more parents see people of colour in leading roles, the more comfortable they feel in putting their children in acting and dance classes.

“For me, it feels like a lovely responsibility to have, to help open that door for other people.”