Josh Gad: 'Bety and the Beast' script didn't say 'LeFou is gay'

Contents:

• 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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYSAVANNAH WALSH
• JOSH GAD SHAR REGRET OVER GAY LEFOU ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: JOSH GAD PLAYS DISNEY’S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER
• LEFOU IS REVEALED TO BE GAY THE LIVE-ACTN VERSN OF BETY AND THE BEAST
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ LEFOU’S GAY MOMENT DETAILS, JOSH GAD TALKS HIS CHARACTER
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST': JOSH GAD’S LE FOU WILL BE DISNEY'S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER
• JOSH GAD: 'BETY AND THE BEAST' SCRIPT DIDN'T SAY 'LEFOU IS GAY'
• SURPRISE: THE NEW BETY AND THE BEAST MOVIE HAS DISNEY'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• 'BETY AND THE BEAST'S 'GAY MOMENT' MAY HAVE BEEN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHG
• ALL THE CHARACTERS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' WHO WERE PROBABLY GAY ALL ALONG
• JOSH GAD SAYS BETY AND THE BEAST'S LEFOU DIDN'T DO JTICE TO 'WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER' SHOULD BE

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 POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYSAVANNAH 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.

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

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. 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.

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

“I’m honored to have that [exclively gay] moment as part of my character’s arc. Gad now told The Inpennt about playg a gay LeFou, “That was not LeFou.

LEFOU IS REVEALED TO BE GAY THE LIVE-ACTN VERSN OF BETY AND THE BEAST

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. And now the movie's creators are droppg another excg bomb on : LeFou, Gaston's sikick, is gay.

This mak him Disney's first-ever openly gay character, se you were keepg sre. In the new issue of Attu magaze, BATB director Bill Condon reveals that LeFou (played by Frozen's Josh Gad) has an "exclively gay moment" the movie.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ LEFOU’S GAY MOMENT DETAILS, JOSH GAD TALKS HIS CHARACTER

Queer them and gay theori are rampant the Disney universe (there's actually a petn circlg the Inter to give Elsa om Frozen a girliend), but this marks the first time a character's homosexualy has been explicly nfirmed.

This isn't a ltle die movie that featur a radilly queer storyle: This is a big-budget, mastream film wh a gay character smack-dab the middle. Gay romance is now Disney movi, y'all!

'BETY AND THE BEAST': JOSH GAD’S LE FOU WILL BE DISNEY'S FIRST-EVER GAY CHARACTER

Actors Le Evans, Josh Gad and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (L-R bottom) Director Bill Condon, Actors Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Audra McDonald and Composer Alan Menken arrive for the world premiere of Disney's live-actn 'Bety and the Beast' at the El Capan Theatre and the Beast featur Disney’s first openly gay character, LeFou (Josh Gad), and acrdg to the film’s director, Bill Condon, there is an “exclively gay moment” volvg LeFou and another character. Condon’s revelatn has triggered some extreme reactns, cludg an Alabama-based theater refg to screen Bety and the Beast and Rsia mullg banng the gay moment qutn shows LeFou “subtly flirtg” wh Gaston (Le Evans), acrdg to Entertament Weekly (EW). 'Bety and the Beast': Josh Gad’s Le Fou Will Be Disney's First-Ever Gay Character.

And as the stud has gotten bolr s subject matter wh films like Zootopia (which took on stutnal racism) and Moana (which bucked a romantic entanglement entirely to prent an pennt female protagonist), appears they’re now fally ready to (gasp) clu a gay character.

Ined, appears that the high-profile live-actn remake of Bety and the Beast, director Bill Condon and team have embraced the subtext of the origal and will prent Josh Gad’s Le Fou as a gay character.

JOSH GAD: 'BETY AND THE BEAST' SCRIPT DIDN'T SAY 'LEFOU IS GAY'

Speakg wh Bra’s Attu Magaze (via IndieWire), Condon revealed the film will offer the first “nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie, ” while addg that Le Fou’s character will fd himself wrtlg wh his feelgs for Le Evans’ Gaston:. Even Alien: Covenant featur a gay uple as a pair of s central characters. Wh Bety, Condon is simply doublg down on years of subtext found the Disney library, and ed the man rponsible for wrg the inic songs the origal Bety and the Beast, Howard Ashman, was himself gay.

So before folks get up arms about this live-actn redo’s gay character, let’s keep md that ’s really jt brgg to the surface what was already there the first place. For his part, Gad nfirmed the news on Twter by sayg he’s proud to be playg Disney’s first openly gay character.

The live-actn Bety and the Beast don't arrive theaters until March 17, but fans are already buzzg about how the movie featur Disney's first gay character, LeFou, played by Josh Gad.

SURPRISE: THE NEW BETY AND THE BEAST MOVIE HAS DISNEY'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER

"I haven't seen anythg (about that), tell me more, " Gad joked on the rpet for the world premiere of Bety and the Beast y, he's "really proud" to play LeFou, a character who has a "wonrful gay moment" the film, as director Bill Condon lled at the premiere. Gad ma clear, however, that "there was nothg the script that said ‘LeFou is gay. Bety and the Beast has sparked ternatnal bate, headl, and even boytts over s "exclively gay moment, " which reveals the sexual orientatn of the character live-actn film's director, Bill Condon, first discsed the scene an terview wh Attu, a gay Brish magaze.

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

"Sce then, many of the stars have also mented on the "gay moment. " He also blamed the journalist om the gay magaze, who first broke the news, for creatg smoke whout fire.

"[RELATED: "Sorry, Rsia, There Have Always Been Gay Disney Characters"]Menken's statement may e as a surprise to those faiar wh the 1991 film's backstory.

The poser sred Bety and the Beast alongsi gay lyricist Howard Ashman, who died of an AIDS-related illns the year of s release.

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

As such, Vany Fair lled Le Fou's "gay moment" a "touchg tribute" to Ashman. And Malaysia, Bety and the Beast has been pulled om theaters "until further notice, " reports Variety, even after the scene qutn was cut and the film was approved by backlash to LeFou, be he gay or straight, ns unter to the film's msage of clivens and acceptance of others who are different.

As Ewan McGregor, rpondg to the ntroversy on The Late Show Wh Stephen Colbert, said this week, "It's jt like, he's a gay character. It looks like we might be gettg more gay LeFou Gad, who played the role 2017's live-actn remake of Bety and Beast, where LeFou was portrayed as beg gay, now tells Variety that there uld be more exploratn of his sexualy the upg Disney+ prequel seri about Gaston. "Now, that uld really mean the film me out, director Bill Condon said that would feature an "exclively gay moment.

"The gay moment was a uple of sends of LeFou dancg wh a man at the ball at the end of the 's a part of the film Gad fought for.

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

Queer Disney fans raised a rabow flag 2017 when was revealed that the Bill Condon-directed live-actn adaptatn of the animated h “Bety and the Beast, ” LeFou — played by Josh Gad — was gay. Now the big qutn is, will LeFou be gay the upg “Bety and the Beast” Disney Pl seri? In Attu's April issue, Bety and the Beast director Bill Condon nfirmed that LeFou (played by Josh Gad) is gay.

After a Twter er asked Gad to nfirm the rmatn sce "this would mean a LOT to me, and gay kids everywhere, " the actor replied, "Beyond proud of this. 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.