Disney has confirmed Josh Gad’s LeFou in Beauty And The Beast is gay!
“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” confirmed director Bill Condon in an exclusive with Attitude.
“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”.
Gad also confirmed the major Disney benchmark in a response to a hopeful fan on Twitter, saying he was “beyond proud” to have played the role.
This subplot alteration doesn’t only mark the incredible milestone of Disney’s first-ever LGBTQ character, but it also honors the original 1991 film’s late lyricist, Howard Ashman, who passed away from complications from AIDS shortly before the film premiered in theatres.
With the level of hype the upcoming live-action retelling film has generated, in addition to the huge audience for the film already guaranteed by Disney’s reputation, this moment will take another step forward in normalising LGBTQ characters and relationships in the cinematic world.
Kudos to Disney for contributing to the task of changing attitudes and bringing about real social progress to the world!
#Peace.Love.JoshGad
