Luke Evans may not be a favorable children’s character in The Beauty and the Beast, but in real life, he’s supporting organizations to help make children’s wishes come true.
On Monday night, Evans attended the Art of Wishes Gala and sat with Family Fortunes host Vernon Kay in London. The gala is held each year to fundraise for Make-A-Wish UK and, according to their website, has raised £9 million since it started.
Evans, who has made a name for himself onscreen, will be performing on the stages of London’s Duke of York’s Theatre on October 27. He will be playing Billy in Marcelo Dos Santos‘ play Backstairs Billy. Alongside Evans, Downton Abbey’s Penelope Wilton will play the Queen Mother.
“When I read the script, it made me giggle out loud so hard,” Evans told The Guardian. “It’s just so entertaining and such a joyous story about these two people: the Queen Mother, who was super famous, but also Billy. He was always there and spent most of his life working for her.”
The comedy play is based on the actual Queen Mother and her loyal servant of 50 years, William “Billy” Tallon. Queen Mother died in 2002, and Tallon died five years later, in 2007.
