Josh Gad, who played LeFou in the live-action adaption of Beauty & The Beast and is due to return to the role in its upcoming spinoff series, gave a cryptic response regarding the character's much-discussed sexuality. The Disney+ adaptation of the 2017 blockbuster, which is titled Little Town, promises to address longstanding questions about main characters, Luke Evans' Gaston and Gad's LeFou. The characters both made their debut in 1991's animated incarnation of Beauty & The Beast. Its original adaptation bolstered various elements of the classic story, including the relationship between the antagonistic pair; given that Little Town takes place before the fabled "tale as old as time," it's an ideal opportunity for its creators to further delve into the backstory of the bumbling LeFou and his bawdy master Gaston.
LeFou's evolution between versions of the French fairytale received much attention when director Bill Condon stated that the character would be gay in his film. Renowned for its family-friendly approach to storytelling, Disney has rarely addressed such themes in its movies, to the increasing ire of their critics. Given that LeFou's sexuality was all but ignored in the movie's final cut, causing even more consternation in the press, it seemed inevitable that any hints towards LeFou's feelings for his liege Gaston would remain just that. Gad's performance was hailed as one of the standout elements of the adaptation, and following various other big screen-to-small screen journeys of beloved Disney-owned properties, it was announced last year that he and Evans would revive their roles in a new eight-part adventure on Disney+.
Recently speaking to the Just for Variety podcast (via Comicbook.com), Gad offered up a few cryptic clues about his celebrated character, and the new world LeFou inhabits. The actor, who also serves as one of the series' creators and writers, spoke of a commitment to challenge Little Town's source material. Gad's insights not only suggest an enigmatic approach to the exploration of LeFou's sexuality but also just how many elements of Little Town promise to surprise Disney+'s now 100 million-strong userbase when the prequel debuts early next year. Read below for what Gad said about the nature of the stories he's striving to tell:
You’re going to have to tune in when this show airs to see what we’re working up, but in the process of working on it, we’re asking ourselves every relevant question about these characters and endeavoring to do right by them and by this world. I think that we have origin stories here that are unbelievably exciting because they’re unexpected. And I think ‘expect the unexpected’ is all I can really say. And not just with regard to LeFou and Gaston but to a lot of the new characters that we’re introducing.
This statement follows Gad's previous comments about Little Town, in which he revealed that Gaston and LeFou wouldn't be the only characters embarking on a new adventure. The actor beamed about newcomer Brianna Middleton, who's playing a new character named Tilly, and director Liesel Tommy (Jessica Jones), who both seem to be contributing to Little Town's twists and turns beyond the tale of Belle and Prince Adam. Given that it will also feature new music from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater – composers on both versions of Beauty & the Beast, and The Little Mermaid and Tangled, respectively – its showrunners seem to be cherry-picking talent that will not only guarantee Little Town's subversive streak but its success too.
Given Gad's frustration regarding the rampant speculation surrounding LeFou in his first live-action appearance, it's unsurprising that he would be eager to steer the conversation away from his sexuality. While traits of Disney's growing list of adaptations has been derided, it's clear that the company's interpretations of their classic properties have kept both the adaptations and the original movies firmly in the hearts of generations of fans. The discourse around homosexuality in mainstream media has evolved a great deal in the 30 years since LeFou was first introduced to audiences, and even since Beauty & the Beast's 2017 remake. If Gad gets his way, the character will finally get to speak for himself when Little Town debuts in early 2022.
Source: Comicbook.com