Josh Gad addresses the full story of the gay LeFou controversy inBeauty and the Beast. Leading up to the release of Disney’s live-action remake in 2017, director Bill Condon teased in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterthat the movie would feature"an exclusively gay moment"for LeFou. Despite expectations of LeFou being Disney’s first openly gay character, thisonly amounted to a fleeting glimpse of LeFou dancing with another manduringBeauty and the Beast’s ending.Josh Gad later shared regretsabout how this was handled.
In Gad’s new memoir,In Gad We Trust(viaEntertainment Weekly), he goes in-depth about his regrets and frustrations with LeFou being touted as a groundbreaking character for LGBTQIA+ representation. He explains that hedoes not feel as though LeFou was positive representation for the queer communityand that he empathizes with the negative reception to the film’s disappointing moment. Gad emphasizes that it was supposed to be a"sweet and innocuous moment"but it ended up being"both too little and not enough". Check out the excerpt from Gad’s memoir below:
I for one certainly didn’t exactly feel like LeFou was who the queer community had been wistfully waiting for. I can’t quite imagine a Pride celebration in honor of the ‘cinematic watershed moment’ involving a quasi-villainous Disney sidekick dancing with a man for half a second. I mean, if I were gay, I’m sure I’d be pissed.
What This Means For Beauty And The Beast
Several Mistakes Were Made
Even though 2017’sBeauty and the Beastis one ofDisney’s better live-action remakes, it is undoubtedly tainted by how the LeFou controversy was handled both in the movie and via publicity. In his memoir, Gad breaks down how there were behind-the-scenes discussions about LeFou’s loyalty and feelings for Gaston (Luke Evans). The consensus was that LeFou’s devotion to Gaston was not romantic or sexual in any way and thatBeauty and the Beast’s creative team never discussed seriously exploring LeFou’s sexuality.
15 Best Belle Quotes From Beauty And The Beast
Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s most important and influential movies and its main character, Belle, offers many great quotes throughout.
As such,Gad agreed to the dancing moment, because he thought it was"cheeky"and"harmless.“Gad thinks it would have remained this way if not for the way"we pointed it out and seemingly congratulated ourselves.“Condon, who is gay, felt pressured"to share his pride for some form of representation in the film"and"felt awful"about the effect of his comment. In addition to accusations of queerbaiting, the comment led to boycotts and the movie even being banned in some countries, although it did not stop the remake from becoming a $1.2 billion box office hit.
His Reflection Goes Beyond Beauty And The Beast
Gad’s comments further clarify the mishandling of hisBeauty and the Beastcharacter. If LeFou was going to be gay, the movie should have done far more to explore this and him being gay should not have been teased in the first place. This is something that Gad, Condon, and all involved seem to agree on.TheBeauty and the Beastcontroversy is also a reminder of how important queer representation isand that a blink-and-you-miss-it moment does not equate to authentic representation.
Beauty and the Beast
Cast
Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 live-action adaptation of Disney’s classic animated film. It tells the story of a cursed prince, transformed into a beast, who must earn the love of a beautiful young woman to break the spell. The film blends romance, fantasy, and music in a timeless narrative.
