‘Bety and the Beast’: Disney’s First-Ever Gay Character Is LeFou, Voiced by Josh Gad – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• 'BETY AND THE BEAST'S 'GAY MOMENT' MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHG
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ DIRECTOR TALKS OF ‘EXCLIVELY GAY’ MOMENT
• PLEASE CHILL OUT ABOUT THE ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ GAY SCENE
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: JOSH GAD PLAYS DISNEY’S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER
• 'GAY MOMENT': DISNEY PULLS BETY AND THE BEAST MALAYSIA FOLLOWG CENSORSHIP
• THE ‘EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT’ ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ PROV THE DANGER OF OVERHYPE
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST' FEATUR DISNEY'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ 2017 GAY MOMENT WILL BE A FIRST FOR DISNEY
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ PULLED FROM MALAYSIA RELEASE AFTER ‘GAY MOMENT’ IS CUT
• BETY AND THE BEAST: DISNEY REF TO CUT GAY SCENE FOR MALAYSIAN RELEASE

'BETY AND THE BEAST'S 'GAY MOMENT' MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHG

They're not talkg about the overall film, which is gettg great reviews (three out of four stars om USA TODAY) and breakg box office rerds wh a $170 ln but, the hight ever for March and the seventh-hight of all unrwhelmed reactn has been to the so-lled "exclively gay moment" the film, which has ed ternatnal ntroversy sce director Bill Condon first mentned an terview wh Attu the terview, Condon said the character LeFou (Josh Gad) would be portrayed as gay. The "gay moment" that Condon was referrg to is a blk-and-you'll-miss- shot the film's fal sends.

"If nobody had said that #LeFou had a 'gay moment'  #BetyAndTheBeast, I really don't thk would've even been a thg, " wrote one Twter er. "Watched the new #BetyAndTheBeast movie last night, hontly don't unrstand what the outrage (about) there beg a gay character was (about), " wrote another.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ DIRECTOR TALKS OF ‘EXCLIVELY GAY’ MOMENT

"Bt part of my day was when half the theater clapped and cheered when the gay uple me on screen #BetyAndTheBeast, " reported one dience who supported the film appld how much money was able rack spe reported "boytts. "Though the moment was well-received or unrwhelmg to many dience members, there were some the LGBT muny who thought the reprentatn of a gay character did not go far enough. Also LeFou is not gay enough, " one Twter er sentiment was shared by some LGBT crics and wrers.

"Disney n pat self on s back all wants for turng a villao buffoon that was d as gay the origal film to a morally ambiguo buffoon who is more obvly gay, nfis a teapot, and tri out dancg wh a man, " wrote Vulture. "Although I adored the movie overall, part of my tratn wh is that I had hoped for more out of Condon’s 'exclively gay moment, '" The Huffgton Post explaed.

PLEASE CHILL OUT ABOUT THE ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ GAY SCENE

Movi|‘Bety and the Beast’ Director Talks of ‘Exclively Gay’ Moment ADVERTISEMENTCred... But what about a gay LeFou?

And so seems to have tiptoed toward open homosexualy s new live-actn versn of “Bety and the Beast. ”Bill Condon, who directed the film, and is openly gay, told the Brish magaze Attu that the manservant LeFou, played by Josh Gad, has “a nice, exclively gay moment” the movie, which has s premiere here on Thursday and arriv theaters the Uned Stat on March Condon ntued: “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. ” The Daily Dot, whout havg seen the movie, stomped s foot, sayg that a gay LeFou was “hardly a high pot for posive L.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: JOSH GAD PLAYS DISNEY’S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER

Condon’s word choice — “exclively” gay? Gad is not gay. LeFou sure seemed to have a csh on Gaston Disney’s 1991 animated versn of “Bety and the Beast, ” ntug a tradn of Disney sikicks that seem to be gay whout statg .

A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn C, Page 3 of the New York edn wh the headle: ‘Bety and the Beast’ to Have ‘Gay Moment’. Instead, people have fixated on a blk-and-you-miss- sequence of gayns toward the end of the film. Le grand as began when director Bill Condon misguidly promised a “nice, exclively gay moment” his live-actn remake.

'GAY MOMENT': DISNEY PULLS BETY AND THE BEAST MALAYSIA FOLLOWG CENSORSHIP

A Screen Rant story said: “Why Disney’s First Gay Character Matters. ” Meanwhile, an Inquistr piece explaed “Why ‘Bety And The Beast’ Gay Scene Don’t Matter. But that has nothg to do wh a barely-there, old-school, implicly gay scene; ’s bee ’s Disney’s Bety and the Freak’ Beast.

Instead, nsir that one month ago, “Moonlight, ” a film featurg assuredly gay characters alg wh real-life stggl, won the Amy Award for Bt Picture — the first gay movie to ever do so. It’s certa as the sun — Josh Gad’s character Bety and the Beast is gay. But is a nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie.

THE ‘EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT’ ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ PROV THE DANGER OF OVERHYPE

Walt Disney has shelved the release of s new film Bety and the Beast Malaysia after film censors said uld only be approved if cut to remove a “gay moment” untry’s two ma cema chas said the movie, due to beg screeng on Thursday, had been postponed Halim Abdul Hamid, film censorship board chairman, said he did not know why the film was postponed by Disney, as had been approved by the board apart om a mor gay scene. He said scen promotg homosexualy were forbidn and that the film was given a P13 ratg, which requir parental guidance for children unr 13 years of age. “We have approved but there is a mor cut volvg a gay moment.

'BETY AND THE BEAST' FEATUR DISNEY'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER

It is only one short scene but is appropriate bee many children will be watchg this movie, ” Abdul Halim said there was no appeal om Disney about the cisn to cut the gay officials did not immediately rpond to a requt for ment.

” Condon has scribed a brief scene as a “gay moment.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ 2017 GAY MOMENT WILL BE A FIRST FOR DISNEY

Malaysia’s censors 2010 loosened s of rtrictns on sexual and relig ntent movi, but still kept a tight leash on ty bikis, kiss and passnate new l allow pictn of gay characters, but only if they show repentance or are portrayed a negative light. The ‘exclively gay moment’ ‘Bety and the Beast’ prov the danger of overhype.

]Before the film even premiered, Vulture published a breakdown of exactly what was volved the "exclively gay moment" that director Bill Condon hyped up  an Attu magaze terview.

In short, wrer Jackson McHenry noted, the "moment" wh LeFou — played by Josh Gad — wasn't much more than that:As the characters get together for a big celebratn at the end of the film, the real "exclively gay moment" arriv. This is not the "exclively gay moment" "Bety and the Beast. That's the danger of wrg LGBTQ characters 2017: Stori about gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and queer people are held to credibly (if not unfairly) high standards.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ PULLED FROM MALAYSIA RELEASE AFTER ‘GAY MOMENT’ IS CUT

Or, and this is purely speculatn: Was this a purposeful news release, one that gave Disney a chance to make a statement agast prejudice by standg up to markets like Malaysia and refg to ed the "exclively gay moment" out? The highly anticipated live-actn remake of “Bety and the Beast” will feature a gay character for the first time Disney's history, acrdg to the film’s director.

BETY AND THE BEAST: DISNEY REF TO CUT GAY SCENE FOR MALAYSIAN RELEASE

Director Bill Condon said an terview wh Attu, a Brish gay magaze, that LeFou, the goofy sikick of the film’s ma villa, Gaston, will fd his own subplot by explorg his sexualy.