Josh Gad is setting the record straight on the controversy surrounding his portrayal of LeFou in Disney’s 2017 Beauty and the Beast reboot. In his newly released memoir, In Gad We Trust, the actor opens up about the backlash that erupted over a fleeting scene in which LeFou briefly dances with another man a moment that was hailed as Disney’s “first explicitly gay moment” but, according to Gad, was blown entirely out of proportion.
I never once played LeFou as gay. 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.
Gad writes, emphasizing that the creative team’s intent behind the character had nothing to do with his sexuality. Reflecting on the uproar, he remarked
The controversy stemmed from a comment made by the film’s director, Bill Condon, in an interview with Attitude magazine ahead of the film’s release. Condon described LeFou as someone who “on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” referring to Luke Evans’ character. He called the dance scene a “nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie,” igniting a firestorm of media attention and public debate.
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Gad recalls that the creative discussions behind LeFou’s devotion to Gaston never revolved around his sexuality. Instead, the character’s admiration was meant to reflect a deep-seated loyalty and respect for Gaston, with no romantic undertones.
We ultimately landed on the side of LeFou being in awe of Gaston, and that was not driven by any sexual desire whatsoever.
Gad explains in his book
The actor admitted he approved the brief dancing scene as a “harmless” addition, but it wasn’t meant to carry the weight of representation.
Because I was a side character, I didn’t want to suddenly throw the weight of sexuality on this character that in no way was driving the film. It was both too little and not enough to be anything more than it was.
he wrote
Condon’s description of the moment as “exclusively gay,” however, became the lightning rod.
The quote in and of itself was delightful, beautiful, and perfect… but for those three fateful words: ‘EXCLUSIVELY GAY MOMENT,.’
Gad writes
The backlash was swift and widespread, with Beauty and the Beast facing boycotts in the US and bans in multiple countries. The controversy dominated media coverage, overshadowing much of the film’s release.
Gad expressed regret that the scene became a political statement rather than a simple moment of character development.
Had the audience defined it as a sweet exclusively gay moment, I would have been delighted! But the second we pointed it out and seemingly congratulated ourselves, we had invited hell and fury.
he writes
Despite the drama, Beauty and the Beast was a massive success, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide and earning two Academy Award nominations. Gad reflects on how time ultimately cooled the controversy: “Once enough people actually saw the film, everyone looked at each other and said: ‘Wait, that’s it? That’s what all the fuss was about?’”
Although Gad wishes the moment had been handled differently, he acknowledges the power of hindsight.
We didn’t go far enough to warrant accolades… We didn’t go far enough to say, ‘Look how brave we are.’ My regret in what happened is that it became ‘Disney’s first explicitly gay moment,’ and it was never intended to be that.
Source: Entertainment Weekly