Josh Gad has addressed the controversy surrounding the 2017 live-action Disney film Beauty and the Beast.
Referring to what is known as the “exclusively gay moment”, Gad revealed that “If I were gay, I’m sure I’d be pissed”.
In his recently released memoir, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some, Gad squashes the suggestions that the 2017 film was intended to feature Disney’s “first-ever gay character”.
Directed by Bill Condon, the film also featured Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Kevin Kline. While promoting the film, Condon commented that viewers would finally get to see a “nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie”.
But fans were disappointed with the brief scene in which Gad’s character, LeFou, is seen dancing with another man.
In excerpts from his book published by Entertainment Weekly, the actor wrote: “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 honour 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 also revealed that LeFou’s sexuality was “never once discussed” with the movie’s creative team and described the infamous dancing scene as “harmless and “a fun blink-and-you’ll-miss-it little beat.”
He wrote: “It was both too little and not enough to be anything more than it was”.
While talking about the film, Condon implied that Gad’s character had potentially romantic feelings for Gaston (played by Luke Evans), the film’s lead antagonist.
Condon said: “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. He’s confused about what he wants,” he told Attitude magazine at the time.
Gad revealed a “casual (but ultimately seismic) conversation” he had with Condon and screenwriters Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos during production of the Disney film.
The conversation was to define the nature of LeFou’s relationship to Gaston. He explained that “in the course of our discussions, we tried to distinguish whether or not LeFou loved Gaston or was in love with Gaston.”
Explaining in his book, Gad says that they ultimately landed on the decision that “LeFou was truly in awe of Gaston, and that was not driven by any sexual desire whatsoever but rather a deep-seated love, appreciation, and belief in this person he had served alongside in battle for many years.”
Due to LeFou’s side-character status, Gad said that he “didn’t want to suddenly throw the weight of sexuality on this character that in no way was driving the film, but the moment (as described to me) seemed harmless enough.”
He wrote: “Never once was the moment in this film described to me as something that we were going to hang a lantern on and pat ourselves on the back for,” Gad wrote. “In fact, if it had, I never would have agreed to the seemingly sweet and innocuous moment. It was both too little and not enough to be anything more than it was.”
Gad said in his book that Condon, who is openly gay, felt “awful” about the publicity backlash about his remarks, and that discussion of the film revolved around the “exclusively gay moment”.
Gad, who also voiced Olaf in the Frozen films, suggested that Condon’s comment had set expectations too high, but that he “‘would have been delighted’ if “the audience defined it as a sweet exclusively gay moment.”
“The second we pointed it out and seemingly congratulated ourselves,” Gad said, “we had invited hell and fury.”
Despite the controversy, the 2017 film was a box office hit, earning more that $1.26 billion worldwide. The film also received a pair of Oscar nods in 2018, for Best Achievement in Costume Design and Best Achievement in Production Design.
