The news that Le Fou is gay in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast has been met with mixed reactions, and in some cases outright hatred. Read what Josh Gad has to say in response.
Last week we learned that Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s latest live-action take on an epic classic starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the titular roles, will feature an “exclusively gay” moment with Josh Gad’s character Le Fou.
Disney, which was slammed by GLAAD last year for featuring zero LGBTQ+ characters in its movies in 2015, may be taking a small leap with this character, but it’s a leap nonetheless.
Unsurprisingly, the reveal has been met with backlash both from those disappointed that it’s not enough and by those actively resisting the inclusion and normalizing of non-straight sexualities in Disney movies.
One movie theater in Alabama has decided to boycott the movie, with Russia granting the movie an adults-only rating due to the subtle moment that acknowledges his sexuality.
Related: Beauty and the Beast review roundup: What critics are saying about the tale as old as time ?
Josh Gad has been chatting to People Magazine about the reactions, and we want to share his eloquent thoughts on the subject here.
First of all, Gad points out that one of the main points of the film is “never to judge a book by its cover,” whether that’s the Beast, Belle, any one of the pieces of enchanted furniture, or Le Fou.
The response to Le Fou’s sexuality reveal and the rejection Beauty and the Beast has faced because of it oddly echoes what happens in the actual film.
“There is so much fear out there of that which we don’t understand, that which we don’t know. … You have a character in Gaston who uses his charm offensive to whip other people into a frenzy to go and attack somebody they’ve never met. Somebody that’s different,” Gad explains. “Somebody that only represents a danger because [Gaston] says that he represents a danger.”
Ultimately, Gad says, “the film is one of inclusiveness. It’s one that has something to offer everyone.”