The upcoming live-action remake of its 1991 animated Disney classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” will feature Disney’s first-ever openly gay character, Gaston’s lovable sidekick, LeFou.
LeFou is played on-screen by Josh Gad, the Tony nominee who also voiced the character of Olaf in the hit film, “Frozen.” LeFou’s new subplot includes a crush on his pal Gaston, and a happily ever after moment of his own.
The movie’s director Bill Condon 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 realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it.”
Condon said he doesn’t want to give away the payoff at the end, but he says, “It is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”
Disney has a long line of characters whose stories can be interpreted as allegories to the gay experience, but they’ve never featured an openly gay character on film before.
The movie hits theaters on March 17th.
Source: People