Beauty and the Beast to feature Disney's first openly gay character
Josh Gad's LeFou is torn between lust and admiration for Gaston, says director Bill Condon
![170302_beauty_and_the_beast.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PwgwNatHUfV44rjRV3k9jX-415-80.jpg)
Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast will feature the studio's first openly gay character, director Bill Condon revealed ahead of the film's Los Angeles premiere today.
The film sees LeFou, played by Frozen's Josh Gad, trying to come to terms with his feelings for Gaston (Luke Evans), which swing between lust and admiration.
It is a plot that breaks new ground when it comes to LGBT visibility on screen, Condon told Attitude magazine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He 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. 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."
Attitude editor Matt Cain welcomed the development but said more must be done to create cinema that reflects real life: "It may have been a long time coming but this is a watershed moment for Disney," he said.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"108964","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
A trailer for the film, which stars Emma Watson as Belle and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens as the Beast, was viewed almost 130 million times in 24 hours when it was released last year.
Beauty and the Beast is out in the UK on 17 March.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Escape seaside in Newport, Rhode Island
The Week Recommends For the quintessential New England experience, head to the Classic Coast
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
8 touring productions to see this summer before they end their runs
The Week Recommends Is four movie adaptations sufficient for one season?
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
What happened to Pixar?
In the Spotlight The animation studio has been flailing for years. Now, it has a resuscitation plan.
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
How to do Disney World with an invisible disability
The Explainer Accessible travel at Florida's famous theme park is about more than wheelchair access
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
A former 'Star Wars' actor is at the center of a Disney free speech lawsuit
Under the Radar Gina Carano is suing the Mouse House to try to get her job back on 'The Mandalorian'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
TV to watch in January, from 'Echo' to 'Griselda'
the week recommends January brings a Queenpin's backstory, the return of Kingpin's apprentice and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
2023: the year of nostalgia
the explainer There was something familiar in the air this year
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
TV to watch in December, from 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' to 'What If...?'
The Week Recommends Spend your December with Mr. D and Dr. Who
By Brendan Morrow, The Week US Published