Josh Gad on His 'Beauty and the Beast' Character: 'I'm Very Proud of It. I Think It's an Incredible Moment'

Josh Gad on playing the "wonderfully complex" Le Fou in Beauty and the Beast

Josh Gad couldn’t be more excited about playing LeFou in Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast — as his character brings a groundbreaking gay moment to the screen.

At the world premiere of Beauty and the Beast in Hollywood last night, Gad opened up about tackling the role of LeFou, the sidekick whose relationship with the film’s villain Gaston has a new spin in the live-action version of the tale.

“[Director] Bill Condon did an amazing job of giving us an opportunity to create a version of LeFou that isn’t like the original, that expands on what the original did, but that makes him more human and makes him a wonderfully complex character to some extent,” Gad told the Associated Press at the premiere.

The actor pointed to one scene in particular at the end of the film, saying that while he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise, “I’m very proud of it. It’s an incredible moment and it’s subtle, but I think it’s effective.”

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Condon also spoke about the role, saying, “I keep saying it’s more like the first gay moment, because I think he’s a very fluid character.” Addressing LeFou’s relationship with Gaston, Condon added, “You want to translate [their relationship] into something that feels real, and you can’t help but wonder, in his admiration for Gaston, [if] there’s something more going on … I just love the way [Gad] kind of captures that.”

Luke Evans, who plays Gaston in the film, also weighed in at the premiere, saying “It’s about unity, it’s about never judging a book by its cover. But digging a little deeper and understanding to not be fearful of things you don’t know or people who look a little different to you.”

He added, “Fear is not a good thing to fuel, and Gaston is responsible for that. But he fails — he fails miserably, and everybody finds love. Everyone!”