Josh Gad Talks How Disney “Didn’t Go Far Enough” In Depicting His Gay ‘Beauty and The Beast’ Character
In what was, at the time, a revolutionary depiction of inclusion rarely seen from Walt Disney Studios, Josh Gad talks about how Disney, “Didn’t go far enough” in depicting his gay Beauty and the Beast character.
An unquestioned classic in the pantheon of timeless Disney films, The Beauty and the Beast is truly a tale for generations; one that has been observed as a true masterwork in cinema history.
2017 saw the remaining of that classic, as Disney reconstructed the story for a modern audience, and adapted the animated masterpiece into a live-action format to a divisive reception.
The film was very different, with the obvious visual elements now changed, but also progressively explored through the lens of 2017 societal understandings: which led to the creative decision to subtly indicate the sexual preference of a certain character.
Source: Walt Disney Pictures
Although the decision, at the time of the film’s release, was applauded for its inclusive efforts, the actor who originated the live-action interpretation of the character of LeFou felt that Disney pulled punches when it came to these efforts.
Josh Gad talks about how Disney, “Didn’t go far enough,” in the depictions of his gay character, and he honestly may have a point…
In an interview with The Independent, Gad stated, “We didn’t go far enough ht o say, ‘Look how brave we are.’ My regret in what happened is that it became, ‘Disney’s first explicitly gat moment’ and it was never intended to be that.”
Gad continued, “It was never intended to be a moment that we should laud ourselves for because frankly, I don’t think we did justice to what a real gay character in a Disney film should be.”
Source: Walt Disney Pictures
“If we’re going to pat ourselves on the back,” Gad concluded, “Then damn it we should have gone further with that. Everybody deserves an opportunity to see themselves on screen, and I don’t think we’ve done enough- and I certainly haven’t done enough to do that.”
The controversy very much continues to this day, as Disney has made small steps towards greater depictions of inclusion; there is hope, however, that Gad’s perspective is shared by the decision-makers who craft these very stories.
