The Touchg Tribute Behd Disney’s First Openly Gay Character | Vany Fair

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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 BISESTE AND OPPENHEIMER’S REAL RELATNSHIP WAS CORDIAL AND COMPLITEDBY HILLARY BISSAVANNAH WALSH
• THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDG THE GAY 'BETY AND THE BEAST' SUBPLOT REEKS OF HYPOCRISY
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: JOSH GAD PLAYS DISNEY’S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST' FEATUR DISNEY'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• JOSH GAD ADMS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' REMAKE 'DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH' WH GAY CHARACTER'S STORYLE
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST'S 'GAY MOMENT' MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHG
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST' WILL TRODUCE WORLD TO FIRST GAY DISNEY CHARACTER
• ALL THE CHARACTERS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' WHO WERE PROBABLY GAY ALL ALONG
• THE TOUCHG TRIBUTE BEHD DISNEY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER
• IS THIS REALLY DISNEY’S FIRST GAY CHARACTER?

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 BISESTE AND OPPENHEIMER’S REAL RELATNSHIP WAS CORDIAL AND COMPLITEDBY HILLARY BISSAVANNAH 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).

THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDG THE GAY 'BETY AND THE BEAST' SUBPLOT REEKS OF HYPOCRISY

’ 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.

There was a great al of ntroversy six years ago when Disney announced that the 2017 live-actn remake film of Bety and the Beast would feature the "first openly gay moment" any Disney film. Lyrics such as "We don't like/What we don't unrstand/In fact sr /And this monster is myster at least" powerfully skewer the nventnal fears and stigmas aimed at LGBT+ people, particularly at the time when the AIDS crisis was beg blamed on the gay muny and homophobia was beg exprsed publicly and celly. The town that Belle om seems acceptg of crossdrsg and gay romance, and Cogsworth and Lumiere's dg is replaced wh a "naggg" wife for the former.

As for the unrwhelmg “exclively gay” subplot, though? That is the extent of the so-lled gay subplot. It’s certa as the sun — Josh Gad’s character Bety and the Beast is gay.

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

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

” Condon promised the film will have a “nice, exclively gay moment” at the the LGBTQ have been advotg to see themselv reprented Disney films. Those g were advotg for givg the lead character Disney’s blockbter h “Frozen” a female love tert the news of LeFou beg Disney’s first gay character, however, was met wh mixed reactns. In the lead up to 2017's Bety and the Beast, Josh Gad's LeFou character was billed as havg Disney's first "exclively gay moment".

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

In the 2017 live-actn Bety and the Beast remake, Gad played LeFou, Gaston's sikick whom director Bill Condon dubbed as Disney's first-ever openly gay character, tellg Attu magaze at the time that the character would have a "nice, exclively gay moment. ' My regret what happened is that beme 'Disney's first explicly gay moment' and was never tend to be that, " said Gad, 41. "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.

"But is a nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie. RELATED VIDEO: Josh Gad on Controversial 'Gay Moment' In Bety and the Beast: 'This Film Is One of Inclivens'.

JOSH GAD ADMS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' REMAKE 'DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH' WH GAY CHARACTER'S STORYLE

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.

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

"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' WILL TRODUCE WORLD TO FIRST GAY DISNEY CHARACTER

"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. ”Although Disney films may have hted at homosexualy the past, cludg the speculatn over Frozen's Elsa, this would mark the first openly gay character to be featured  one -- a landmark moment that has the potential to impact s global dience, pecially untri where LGBT reprentatn is even ls visible on and the Beast hs theaters March most mt-see films of 2017, om 'Bety and the Beast' to 'Star Wars'.

ALL THE CHARACTERS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' WHO WERE PROBABLY GAY ALL ALONG

He himself se the character as openly gay wh an unrequed love for Ashman was a playwright and lyricist and beme one of the proust eras of disney. E “Reflectn” om Mulan, “Almost there” om the Prcs and the og and “How far i’ll go” om, Howard Ashman lost a long battle wh the sickns “Aids” eight months before the film’s release and did not experience the great rponse and osr the real- life remake, the character is gay. Sometim queer people n seem homophobic before they e out, bee they act like they fd the LGBTQ+ muny unnatural or weird, bee ’s what the norm has been for so long.

They n say homophobic ments or be mean to openly queer people, tryg to supprs their own feelgs bee they are aaid of not beg accepted society. This kd of behavr pattern is proven several studi and has even gotten s own term: ternalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia is fed as the fear and self-hate of one’s own LGBTQ+ inty, that occurs for many dividuals who have learned negative ias about LGBTQ+ people throughout childhood.

Of urse, this isn’t the only reason and explanatn to homophobic, turns out the old woman is a betiful and powerful enchantrs, who punish the prce by turng him to the beast, which he will be forever unls he “uld learn to love another and earn her love return” (- Bety and the Beast) before his 21st mands are a good reprentatn of the heteronormative expectatns the world; has to be a girl/woman who he to this new form, the Beast gets sred and his om the rt of the world his stle. And then, the April issue of Attu, director Bill Condon nfirmed that Gad’s LeFou is, ed, Disney’s first openly gay character.

THE TOUCHG TRIBUTE BEHD DISNEY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER

What’s more, his sexualy may pay homage to one of the creators behd the origal, beloved 1991 animated is beg ma of what Condon is llg “a nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie. ” For Disney to take “subtle and lic” and actually make explic—as Condon says do the new Bety—is a huge step forward for the Hoe of he don’t draw a direct le to Gad’s LeFou, Condon, who is openly gay himself, pots out that the gay muny has a long history wh this Disney prcs tale particular. As Ashman was battlg for his life, the stigma of beg both gay and sick the early 90s crept to his work.

A gay film versn of Romeo and Juliet seems h and new. Bety and the Beast’s live-actn update was already makg headl for s revisns to the 1991 animated classic, but s latt allegedly serv as a first for all of Disney: The late-breakg announcement yterday that the film will feature the stud’s first gay character adds a new layer to the productn, which has actively sought to take s fairy-tale source material to the 21st century.

IS THIS REALLY DISNEY’S FIRST GAY CHARACTER?

In the April issue of the Brish magaze, Attu, the film’s stars (Dan Stevens and Emma Watson), along wh s director, Bill Condon, talk at length about the film’s nnectn to the gay muny. Htg at an “exclively gay moment” volvg LeFou, Condon offered a rare nfirmatn regardg the sexualy of a Disney character.

For s part, Disney has never shied away om referencg gay culture, noddg to legendary drag performer Dive wh the character sign for Ursula the Sea Wch om The Ltle Mermaid, or on ocsn subvertg genr rol wh stori like Mulan. ” While LeFou may not be a perfect example of reprentatn—his syphantic toadyg verg on stereotype, and his name translat, lerally, to “The Fool”—the prence of a gay character wh the world of Disney remas important. Gay viewers seekg mastream self-intifitn the cema have ually had to settle for wkg nuanc and allns, or at worst, the more obliv homoeroticism of sundry Michael Bay-style brawnfts.

A flurry of headl – rangg om the overly enthed to the overly outraged – greeted Bety and the Beast director Bill Condon’s announcement Attu magaze that the Moe Hoe’s live-actn remake of their 1991 fairytale smash would boast the pany’s first “exclively gay moment”.