Subtle ‘gay moment’ generates Disney buzz
Cast, director proud, advocateds hail small step forward
To be clear: It’s not exactly Brokeback Mountain.
The so-called “gay moment” in Disney’s new live-action film version of Beauty and the Beast is subtle — so subtle you could easily miss it with an ill-timed sneeze or glance away from the screen. And it may sail over the heads of young viewers.
But the cast and director say it is indeed a gay moment —one they ’re proud of. And advocates call it a big step forward for Disney and for youth entertainment.
The scene involves the character of LeFou (Josh Gad), the timid and lovable sidekick to the preening villain Gaston (Luke Evans.) Without spoiling too much, it’s safe to say LeFou spends much of the film in Gaston’s thrall, and toward the end also has a moment — a few seconds, really — where the samesex theme is more overt.
At the Los Angeles debut screening, Gad said he is “very proud” of the scene.
“(Director) Bill Condon did an amazing job of giving us an opportunity to create a version of LeFou that isn’t like the original ... but that makes him more human and makes him a wonderfully complex character, to some extent,” he said. As for the moment, “I’m very proud of it. I think it’s an incredible moment and it’s subtle, but I think it’s effective.”
Condon said descriptions of LeFou as the first Disney gay character go too far. “I keep saying it’s more like the first gay moment,” he said. “Because I think it’s a very fluid character.” He added: “You can’t help but wonder in his adoration of Gaston ... (is there) something more going on?”
The length of the scene — or scenes, since LeFou’s fluid orientation is hinted at elsewhere — is not what’s important, said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy group.
“It’s a wonderful step forward,” she said. “And this is incredibly important for the youth of today. They need to see themselves reflected in the media they consume. More and more, as studios want to appeal to youth audiences, they’re going to have to include LGBTQ story lines and characters.”