Josh Gad Shar Regrets About Gay LeFou 'Bety and the Beast' - Variety

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• BETY AND THE BEAST “DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH” WH GAY LEFOU, SAYS JOSH GAD “I DON’T THK WE DID JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE,” GAD SAID A RECENT TERVIEW.BY SAVANNAH WALSHMARCH 1, 2022FROM SHUTTERSTOCK.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT’S BEEN NEARLY FIVE YEARS SCE DISNEY’S LIVE-ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST MA HEADL FOR AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT” VOLVG LEFOU (PLAYED BY JOSH GAD), THE DIM-WTED SIKICK TO THE VILLAO GASTON (LE EVANS). THAT SCENE, TEASED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON DURG THE FILM’S PRS TOUR, WOUND UP BEG MERELY A BRIEF SHOT OF LEFOU DANCG WH ANOTHER MAN JT BEFORE THE CREDS ROLLED. GAD IS NOW REMORSEFUL ABOUT HIS CHARACTER’S POSNG AS DISNEY’S FIRST TE LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN.“WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH TO WARRANT ACLAS,” HE RECENTLY TOLD THE INPENNT. “WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH TO SAY, ‘LOOK HOW BRAVE WE ARE.’ MY REGRET WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT BEME ‘DISNEY’S FIRST EXPLICLY GAY MOMENT’ AND WAS NEVER TEND TO BE THAT. IT WAS NEVER TEND TO BE A MOMENT THAT WE SHOULD LD OURSELV FOR, BEE ANKLY, I DON’T THK WE DID JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE.”AT THE TIME OF BETY AND THE BEAST’S RELEASE, THE IMPLITN THAT A BELOVED ANIMATED CHARACTER WOULD BE QUEER ED NTROVERSY. AN ALABAMA THEATER REFED TO SCREEN THE FILM, MALAYSIA BALKED AT SCREENG AN UNCENSORED VERSN OF , AND RSIA APPROVED THE FILM FOR SCREENG BUT WH AN AGE RATG OF 16 AND ABOVE. AMIDST THE FALLOUT, CONDON REVISED HIS EARLIER MENTS, LLG VERAGE OF THE SCENE “OVERBLOWN.” MEANWHILE, GAD TOLD USA TODAY AT THE FILM’S PREMIERE THAT THE SCRIPT DID NOT EXPLICLY DISCLOSE LEFOU’S SEXUALY AS GAY. “THAT WAS NOT LEFOU,” GAD NTUED HIS REMARKS TO THE INPENNT. “IF WE’RE GOG TO PAT OURSELV ON THE BACK, THEN DAMN , WE SHOULD HAVE GONE FURTHER WH THAT. EVERYBODY SERV AN OPPORTUNY TO SEE THEMSELV ON SCREEN, AND I DON’T THK WE’VE DONE ENOUGH—AND I CERTALY HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH TO DO THAT.”GAD WAS SET TO REPRISE HIS ROLE AS LEFOU A PREQUEL SERI FOR DISNEY+, WHICH WOULD HAVE RNED WH EVANS’S GASTON. HOWEVER, DISNEY POSTPONED THE PROJECT EARLIER THIS YEAR, DUE TO CREATIVE LAYS. “WE TRIED TO MAKE ALL WORK BUT UNR THE GUN WASN’T MEANT TO BE…FOR NOW,” GAD, WHO WAS ALSO A SHOWNNER ON THE SERI, TWEETED. “THE CHARACTERS AND THIS STORY WILL LIVE ON, BUT SOMETIM THE BT TENTNS & REALY LLI & NOTHG N BE DONE.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— JERRY LEWIS’S COSTARS SPEAK OUT: “HE GRABBED ME. HE BEGAN TO FONDLE ME. I WAS DUMBSTCK”— INSI CHARLIZE THERON AND TOM HARDY’S MAD MAX WAR— INVENTG ANNA IS A “DANGERO” DISTORTN, SAYS RACHEL WILLIAMS— HOW THE GUN ALEC BALDW’S HANDS TURNED THE RT SET DEADLY— LOVE IS BLD SEASON TWO IS PEAK RED FLAG TELEVISN— PACHKO FIRST LOOK: AN EPIC TALE, AND A HISTORY-MAKG SHOW— VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE 2022: SEE THE FULL PORTFOL FEATURG NILE KIDMAN, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MORE— THE UGLY TTH OF HOW MOVIE SR ARE MA— KIRSTEN DUNST ON HER FIRST OSR NOMATN FOR THE POWER OF THE DOG— FROM THE ARCHIVE: WH FRIENDS LIKE THE— SIGN UP FOR THE “HWD DAILY” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE—PL A SPECIAL WEEKLY EDN OF “AWARDS INSIR.”MOST POPULARSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISRUTH HANDLER: SEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM AND THE ORIG OF BARBIEBY ANTHONY BREZNINSAVANNAH WALSH
• JOSH GAD SHAR REGRET OVER GAY LEFOU ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’
• JOSH GAD SAYS HE DON'T THK 'BETY AND THE BEAST' DID 'JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE'
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: JOSH GAD PLAYS DISNEY’S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST'S 'GAY MOMENT' MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHG
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ DIRECTOR TALKS OF ‘EXCLIVELY GAY’ MOMENT
• ORIGAL ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ ACTOR SAYS LEFOU CHARACTER WAS ALWAYS GAY
• BETY AND THE BEAST DIRECTOR SAYS GAY CHARACTER REACTN IS 'OVERBLOWN'
• WHY DISNEY'S "EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT" DON'T DELIVER AT ALL
• JOSH GAD SHAR ‘REGRET’ OVER GAY ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ REVEAL: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’
• JOSH GAD SAYS BETY AND THE BEAST'S LEFOU DIDN'T DO JTICE TO 'WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER' SHOULD BE
• DISNEY'S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER 'DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH’ ADMS JOSH GAD

BETY AND THE BEAST “DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH” WH GAY LEFOU, SAYS JOSH GAD “I DON’T THK WE DID JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE,” GAD SAID A RECENT TERVIEW.BY SAVANNAH WALSHMARCH 1, 2022FROM SHUTTERSTOCK.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT’S BEEN NEARLY FIVE YEARS SCE DISNEY’S LIVE-ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST MA HEADL FOR AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT” VOLVG LEFOU (PLAYED BY JOSH GAD), THE DIM-WTED SIKICK TO THE VILLAO GASTON (LE EVANS). THAT SCENE, TEASED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON DURG THE FILM’S PRS TOUR, WOUND UP BEG MERELY A BRIEF SHOT OF LEFOU DANCG WH ANOTHER MAN JT BEFORE THE CREDS ROLLED. GAD IS NOW REMORSEFUL ABOUT HIS CHARACTER’S POSNG AS DISNEY’S FIRST TE LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN.“WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH TO WARRANT ACLAS,” HE RECENTLY TOLD THE INPENNT. “WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH TO SAY, ‘LOOK HOW BRAVE WE ARE.’ MY REGRET WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT BEME ‘DISNEY’S FIRST EXPLICLY GAY MOMENT’ AND WAS NEVER TEND TO BE THAT. IT WAS NEVER TEND TO BE A MOMENT THAT WE SHOULD LD OURSELV FOR, BEE ANKLY, I DON’T THK WE DID JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE.”AT THE TIME OF BETY AND THE BEAST’S RELEASE, THE IMPLITN THAT A BELOVED ANIMATED CHARACTER WOULD BE QUEER ED NTROVERSY. AN ALABAMA THEATER REFED TO SCREEN THE FILM, MALAYSIA BALKED AT SCREENG AN UNCENSORED VERSN OF , AND RSIA APPROVED THE FILM FOR SCREENG BUT WH AN AGE RATG OF 16 AND ABOVE. AMIDST THE FALLOUT, CONDON REVISED HIS EARLIER MENTS, LLG VERAGE OF THE SCENE “OVERBLOWN.” MEANWHILE, GAD TOLD USA TODAY AT THE FILM’S PREMIERE THAT THE SCRIPT DID NOT EXPLICLY DISCLOSE LEFOU’S SEXUALY AS GAY. “THAT WAS NOT LEFOU,” GAD NTUED HIS REMARKS TO THE INPENNT. “IF WE’RE GOG TO PAT OURSELV ON THE BACK, THEN DAMN , WE SHOULD HAVE GONE FURTHER WH THAT. EVERYBODY SERV AN OPPORTUNY TO SEE THEMSELV ON SCREEN, AND I DON’T THK WE’VE DONE ENOUGH—AND I CERTALY HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH TO DO THAT.”GAD WAS SET TO REPRISE HIS ROLE AS LEFOU A PREQUEL SERI FOR DISNEY+, WHICH WOULD HAVE RNED WH EVANS’S GASTON. HOWEVER, DISNEY POSTPONED THE PROJECT EARLIER THIS YEAR, DUE TO CREATIVE LAYS. “WE TRIED TO MAKE ALL WORK BUT UNR THE GUN WASN’T MEANT TO BE…FOR NOW,” GAD, WHO WAS ALSO A SHOWNNER ON THE SERI, TWEETED. “THE CHARACTERS AND THIS STORY WILL LIVE ON, BUT SOMETIM THE BT TENTNS & REALY LLI & NOTHG N BE DONE.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— JERRY LEWIS’S COSTARS SPEAK OUT: “HE GRABBED ME. HE BEGAN TO FONDLE ME. I WAS DUMBSTCK”— INSI CHARLIZE THERON AND TOM HARDY’S MAD MAX WAR— INVENTG ANNA IS A “DANGERO” DISTORTN, SAYS RACHEL WILLIAMS— HOW THE GUN ALEC BALDW’S HANDS TURNED THE RT SET DEADLY— LOVE IS BLD SEASON TWO IS PEAK RED FLAG TELEVISN— PACHKO FIRST LOOK: AN EPIC TALE, AND A HISTORY-MAKG SHOW— VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE 2022: SEE THE FULL PORTFOL FEATURG NILE KIDMAN, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MORE— THE UGLY TTH OF HOW MOVIE SR ARE MA— KIRSTEN DUNST ON HER FIRST OSR NOMATN FOR THE POWER OF THE DOG— FROM THE ARCHIVE: WH FRIENDS LIKE THE— SIGN UP FOR THE “HWD DAILY” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE—PL A SPECIAL WEEKLY EDN OF “AWARDS INSIR.”MOST POPULARSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISRUTH HANDLER: SEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM AND THE ORIG OF BARBIEBY ANTHONY BREZNINSAVANNAH WALSH

It’s been nearly five years sce Disney’s live-actn Bety and the Beast ma headl for an “exclively gay moment” volvg LeFou (played by Josh Gad), the dim-wted sikick to the villao Gaston (Le Evans). ’ My regret what happened is that beme ‘Disney’s first explicly gay moment’ and was never tend to be that.

It was never tend to be a moment that we should ld ourselv for, bee ankly, I don’t thk we did jtice to what a real gay character a Disney film should be. ” Meanwhile, Gad told USA Today at the film’s premiere that the script did not explicly disclose LeFou’s sexualy as gay. Josh Gad recently told The Inpennt that he has some regrets over how Disney’s 2017 live actn “Bety and the Beast” remake handled makg his character a gay man.

JOSH GAD SHAR REGRET OVER GAY LEFOU ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’

The movie’s director, Bill Condon, announced USA Today ahead of the film’s release that his “Bety and the Beast” would troduce Disney’s first openly gay character. Condon said Gad’s LeFou had “an exclively gay moment” the movie, but all that turned out to be was a blk-and-you’ll-miss- shot of LeFou dancg wh a man.

Once the film opened theaters, Condon and Gad were wily cricized for pattg themselv on the back when the movie ntaed virtually no gay moment whatsoever.

Gad told USA Today at the film’s 2017 premiere that while the script did not nfirm LeFou is gay, he was “honored” to have the chance to epen the character the live-actn versn.

JOSH GAD SAYS HE DON'T THK 'BETY AND THE BEAST' DID 'JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE'

“I’m honored to have that [exclively gay] moment as part of my character’s arc.

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

Gad now told The Inpennt about playg a gay LeFou, “That was not LeFou. In 2017, Disney's "Bety and the Beast" director said the movie had an "exclively gay moment. Actor Josh Gad, who played Gaston's sikick LeFou the "Bety and the Beast" remake, recently shared that he agre wh some Disney fans who were left disappoted after was said that his character was a gay a new terview wh The Inpennt, Gad said he agre wh people who believed the moment was overhyped.

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

LeFou's anticipated "gay moment"  the 2017 film turned out to be two sends of him dancg wh a man.

' My regret what happened is that beme 'Disney's first explicly gay moment' and was never tend to be that. "The hype around LeFou's "gay moment" began jt a uple of weeks before the "Bety and the Beast" remake was set to premiere. The ver for an April 2017 edn of Attu, a gay liftyle magaze, touted a world exclive about "the same-sex surprise" fans would see the movie.

But is a nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie.

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

The phrase "exclively gay moment" beme a foc of the movie's chang to the 1991 origal animated when people flocked to the theater, the only "gay moment" LeFou's character was given me durg the movie's endg montage. "It was never tend to be a moment that we should ld ourselv for, bee ankly, I don't thk we did jtice to what a real gay character a Disney film should be, " Gad told the Inpennt this week. It’s certa as the sun — Josh Gad’s character Bety and the Beast is gay.

But the thg that has gotten people really upset about the new film — a live-actn remake of the 1991 animated classic — is that one of s characters is gay. Director Bill Condon revealed this month that one of the tweaks he’s ma to the origal tale of bety-meets-beast, is that LeFou, Gaston’s sikick played by Disney all-star shortstop Josh Gad, is a gay man.

LeFou is, Condon’s words, “explicly gay.

ORIGAL ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ ACTOR SAYS LEFOU CHARACTER WAS ALWAYS GAY

Condon’s rejiggerg of a classic has h a nerve: A drive- theater Alabama has boytted the film, the Rsian ernment is nsirg dog the same, and the film censorship board Malaysia asked Disney to cut the film’s gay scene (the stud refed). It’s not jt about Bety and the Beast or gay rights. Earlier this month, a reprentative of the theater posted a now-leted Facebook note clarg that they would not show the movie bee LeFou is gay, and homosexualy go agast Christian beliefs.

The petn, which stat that “Disney wants to normalize homosexualy s productns, ” has over 50, 000 signatur — more than 20 tim Henagar, Alabama’s populatn of 2, 300 people (acrdg to the 2010 cens).

Regardls of their fah, many people will talk about as part of the fight for gay rights.

BETY AND THE BEAST DIRECTOR SAYS GAY CHARACTER REACTN IS 'OVERBLOWN'

If you look at all the outrage and the backlash has spired, ’s not hard to see how takg a stand for one si or the other uld be read more as performative back-pattg than an effort to advance gay rights or Christian doctre.

WHY DISNEY'S "EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT" DON'T DELIVER AT ALL

The songs your favore Disney movie were probably wrten by a gay man. If you like Disney movi and Disney songs, chanc are a gay man named Howard Ashman -posed or wrote the lyrics to many of your favor.

It tak a special cultural ignorance to prott the adaptatn bee featur a gay character, even though the origal movie wouldn’t be what is whout Ashman’s talent. Never md the many other Disney characters who have been d as or terpreted as gay characters over the years, or that “Gaston, ” a number which appears both Bety and the Beast films, is sentially LeFou’s love letter to his mcle-daddy csh.

JOSH GAD SHAR ‘REGRET’ OVER GAY ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ REVEAL: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’

And while Condon hasn’t directly nfirmed that makg LeFou gay is an homage to Ashman, would be a small token of appreciatn to a man who brought much joy to this world by sharg his talents wh .

JOSH GAD SAYS BETY AND THE BEAST'S LEFOU DIDN'T DO JTICE TO 'WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER' SHOULD BE

Read ahead if you would like spoilers on how gay LeFou actually is.

So how gay is LeFou? Here is a brief, spoilery ndown of what happens LeFou’s gay scene.

DISNEY'S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER 'DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH’ ADMS JOSH GAD

LeFou has what is basilly an unrequed csh on Gaston throughout the movie, and at the end to the realizatn that he is gay and acknowledg the realy that Gaston won’t go for him.