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Beauty and the Beast will feature Disney's firsy Gay Character
Disney are known for being one of the most liberal companies in the world, so it comes as no surprise that they were bold enough to feature a gay character in their upcoming Beauty and the Beast. Josh Gad, who plays LeFou in the film, confirmed in an interview with Attitude that his character is gay, saying:
“He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”
He went on to call it a "watershed moment for Disney", and I think we have to agree with him. Conservatives are now probably going to try to boycott the film, and it may stir up some controversy in some less tolerant territories, but it's still great to see a huge $160 million Hollywood blockbuster representing a group that are usually ignored in such films. Let's hope this trend continues.
Beauty and the Beast was directed by Gods and Monsters and Mr. Holmes helmer Bill Condon, with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the titular roles and Luke Evans as the villainous narcissist Gaston. It opens on March 17, 2017.
The original Beauty and the Beast was released back in 1991, grossing $424,967,620 and winning Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Last year's The Jungle Book earned just under $1 billion worldwide, with its total gross coming in at $966,550,600, so Disney's current trend of turning adapting their animated classics into live action movies is bound continue. The next film to get such treatment will be The Lion King, with The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau once again directing.
