Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
It’s 2017, so it’s about time that Prince Charming is no longer limited to only finding his princess in Disney movies – and it looks like the Emma Watson-starring Beauty and the Beast is addressing this head-on. The live action reboot set to hit theaters March 17 will feature Disney’s first “exclusively gay moment”, says director Bill Condon.
In an exclusive interview with Attitude Magazine, Condon confirmed that macho Gaston’s goofy sidekick LeFou (Frozen‘s Josh Gad) is “somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston.” Condon elaborated on the aspects of Gad’s character and his feelings towards 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.”
“It may have been a long time coming but this is a watershed moment for Disney,” added Attitude Editor-in-Chief Matt Cain. “It’s a step in the right direction and I applaud Disney for being brave enough to make it.”
It didn’t take long for the internet to run rampant with a series of reactions to the news, ranging from excitement for Disney’s social progress to frustration that they had chosen to make their first openly gay character a bumbling, villainous side role who lusts after a macho straight character.
There was also, of course, the expected conservative backlash in light of this historical move:
While the impending birth of this #BoycottDisney movement certainly has Twitter buzzing, it doesn’t seem to stand in the way of this insanely anticipated film (back in November, its trailer set the record for most views in 24 hours – 127.6 million). Disney has yet to release an official comment on the matter.
