Susan Egan has starred in many musicals before her final breaktrough in The Beauty and the Beast as Belle. So Megara wasn't actually the first Disney heroine Egan had starred. In the movie, Susan Egan provided both the speaking and singing voice for Meg. This is what Egan herself tells about her role:
Although it seemed to me at the time that my association with Disney through B&B would help me land an animated feature, I couldn't even get an AUDITION for Hercules! Meg, the character in Hercules, you see, is a bad girl. She works for Hades, the devil, and helps him set up Herc for a fall. So, the writers and casting directors thought I'd be wrong for the film, because they all saw me as Belle! But I finally landed an audition, I think because they felt sorry for me, and I surprised them.
Meg was described as a sexy Barbara Stanwyck type; what the Disney folk didn't know is that I LOVE OLD MOVIES! So, I guess I had that 1940's bad-girl timing happening, and I used a really low voice range that they had never heard from me. In essence -- I lucked out! I love Meg. She's the gorgeous, girl-with-a-track-record that I've always wanted to play. She's got the Liz Taylor look and the one-liners I wish I could come up with in real life. I hope you all like her and the film!
For more info on Susan Egan and her career you can find at her official fan page. You can also write her at this address SusanFEgan@aol.com . Maybe she writes you back! I don't know, I never tried.
Here are some pics of Susan (click the thumbnails for bigger images)
 Susan Egan as Belle and Terrence Mann as the Beast in BatB.
 Susan Egan with a statue of Megara.
 Tate Donovan (adult Hercules) and Susan Egan with the character statues.
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Susan Egan
-Belle and Meg
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Susan Egan with a statue of Megara.
Susan Egan as Belle and Terrence Mann as the Beast in BatB.
Tate Donovan (adult Hercules) and Susan Egan with the character statues.