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

Contents:

• 'BETY AND THE BEAST' FEATUR 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 POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSAVANNAH WALSH
• ‘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
• THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDG THE GAY 'BETY AND THE BEAST' SUBPLOT REEKS OF HYPOCRISY
• JOSH GAD SAYS HE DON'T THK 'BETY AND THE BEAST' DID 'JTICE TO WHAT A REAL GAY CHARACTER A DISNEY FILM SHOULD BE'
• JOSH GAD SHAR ‘REGRET’ OVER GAY ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ REVEAL: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’
• JOSH GAD ADMS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' REMAKE 'DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH' WH GAY CHARACTER'S STORYLE
• ALL THE CHARACTERS 'BETY AND THE BEAST' WHO WERE PROBABLY GAY ALL ALONG
• BETY AND THE BEAST: DISNEY REF TO CUT GAY SCENE FOR MALAYSIAN RELEASE
• JOSH GAD SHAR REGRET OVER GAY LEFOU ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’: ‘WE DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH’
• RSIAN MP LLS FOR BAN ON BETY AND THE BEAST OVER 'GAY PROPAGANDA'
• LEFOU EMBRAC LE FEY: DISNEY GO GAY IN ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’
• THE ‘EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT’ ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ PROV THE DANGER OF OVERHYPE
• BETY AND THE BEAST GAY SCENE: WHY WAS WRTEN IN?
• DISNEY BREAKS NEW GROUND WH GAY SCENE 'BETY AND THE BEAST'
• ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ BUT UNFAZED BY ANTI-GAY BACKLASH

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

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.

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 POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSAVANNAH WALSH

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. 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.

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

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. It’s certa as the sun — Josh Gad’s character Bety and the Beast is gay.

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

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

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

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. "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.

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

"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. As for the unrwhelmg “exclively gay” subplot, though?

That is the extent of the so-lled gay subplot. 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.

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

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.

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

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. Gay OnlyFans.

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

Five years after Gad took on the role of LeFou Disney’s live-actn remake, the “Wolf Like Me” actor is slammg the hype around the “exclively gay moment” onscreen, as director Bill Condon tegorized 2017. “My regret what happened is that beme ‘Disney’s first explicly gay moment’ and was never tend to be that, ” Gad told The Inpennt.

“It was never tend to be a moment that 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 also noted that “there was nothg the script that said ‘LeFou is gay.

'” Now, the actor is revealg his te thoughts about beg LeFou beg d as gay.

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

An Alabama theater boytted the film, starg Emma Watson and Dan Stevens the tular lead rol, and Disney pulled the movie om Malaysia after chairman of the Malaysian film censorship board, Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, censored a specific “gay moment. As IndieWire’s Ju Dry wrote the review, “As for that gay moment, ’s tough to know which one he meant.

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". 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.

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

"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'. Disney says will not cut a gay scene om Bety and the Beast for release Malaysia, spe a requt om live-actn film, which stars Emma Watson, had been schled to open cemas Malaysia on Thursday, but Disney fely postponed the film’s release earlier this week after the untry’s Film Censorship Board said would only be approved if the scene was cut.

RSIAN MP LLS FOR BAN ON BETY AND THE BEAST OVER 'GAY PROPAGANDA'

Homosexual activy remas illegal Malaysia, and homosexual characters n only be picted on screen if they show repentance or are portrayed negatively. “We have approved but there is a mor cut volvg a gay moment. The film featur an “exclively gay moment”, where LeFou danc wh another scene has already attracted ntroversy.

LEFOU EMBRAC LE FEY: DISNEY GO GAY IN ‘BETY AND THE BEAST’

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.

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

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.

BETY AND THE BEAST GAY SCENE: WHY WAS WRTEN IN?

“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.

DISNEY BREAKS NEW GROUND WH GAY SCENE 'BETY AND THE BEAST'

A lg party MP Rsia has sought to have the new Disney mil Bety and the Beast banned for peddlg “gay propaganda” Milonov wrote to the culture mister, Vladimir Medsky, askg him to check the film for so-lled homosexual propaganda and llg for s forthg release to be ncelled, the state news agency RIA Novosti mors rmatn about homosexualy has been illegal Rsia sce 2013. It scrib homosexualy as “non-tradnal sexual relatns”.

Homosexualy was crimalised Rsia 1993. Medsky told the BBC that the culture mistry would “nsir [Bety and the Beast] acrdg to the law” as soon as had a py of the film wh paperwork for new mil ntas Disney’s first ever gay character and love scene, acrdg to the film’s director, Bill Condon.

”Milonov was a leadg proponent of legislatn agast gay “propaganda”, which activists have said has led to a rise homophobic rhetoric and attacks. Not exactly the image wh which gay men like to be associated.

‘BETY AND THE BEAST’ BUT UNFAZED BY ANTI-GAY BACKLASH

There is a pattern wh all of the d “gay” characters, all of whom uld be scribed ntemporary terms as genr non-nformg: They’re all villas.

In an terview wh Bra’s Attu Magaze, Condon revealed that he will make his mark on the Disney legacy by allowg years of subtext to fally e to the surface, prentg the first “nice, exclively gay moment a Disney movie, ” the director said. READ MORE: Cate Blanchett Remds You Why She’s A Gay In Wh Powerhoe Drag Bar Lip Sync — Watch. Condon, who unts Sir Ian McKellen as a good iend, is openly gay.