There are oblique references to LeFou's sexuality over the course of the film. LeFou, the villain Gaston's (Luke Evans) side-kick, dances with a man in the final ball sequence just before the credits roll. The 'gay moment' that Condon was referring to is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot in the film's final seconds. So what exactly caused all this controversy? This caused the film to get shelved in Kuwait and Malaysia, to be given a stricter rating in Russian theaters and to be boycotted by one Alabama drive-in. In the interview, Condon said the character LeFou (Josh Gad) would be portrayed as gay. The underwhelmed reaction has been to the so-called 'exclusively gay moment' in the film, which has caused international controversy since director Bill Condon first mentioned it in an interview with Attitude magazine. They're not talking about the overall film, which is getting great reviews ( three out of four stars from USA TODAY) and breaking box office records with a $170 million debut, the highest ever for March and the seventh-highest of all time.
That's what many moviegoers are saying after seeing Disney's latest live-action remake, Beauty and the Beast. Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast.
