Josh Gad Says Disney Didn't "Go Far Enough" With The "Gay Moment" In "Beauty And The Beast"

    "We didn't go far enough to warrant accolades."

    One of the many memorable things about Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast was Josh Gad's performance as LeFou.

    Gad poses for a photo at a step-and-repeat

    At the time of release, Beauty and the Beast received a lot of attention for reports that LeFou would be the first gay character in a Disney film.

    Josh Gad rides next to Luke Evans

    In an interview with the Independent, Josh reflected on the substance and impact of LeFou's story arc, and what more could've been done.

    Gad looks at the crowd while sitting down

    “We didn’t go far enough to warrant accolades,” he said regarding LeFou's sexuality.

    Gad smiles while wearing a hat

    “We didn’t go far enough to say, ‘Look how brave we are.’ My regret in what happened is that it became ‘Disney’s first explicitly gay moment’ and it was never intended to be that."

    Josh stands in front of a poster

    "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."

    Gad smiles at the step-and-repeat

    Josh also said that if anyone involved with the film wants to "pat ourselves on the back" for LeFou, then, "Damn it we should have gone further with that."

    Gad smiles at an event

    “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.”

    Gad smiles in front of a step-and-repeat

    Read the entire interview here.