Ewan McGregor slams Beauty and the Beast ‘gay scene’ controversy

Tha actor turned the air waves blue as he hit back at the uproar
Hitting back: Ewan McGregor has criticised the backlash
Emma Powell14 March 2017
The Weekender

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Ewan McGregor has hit out at the controversy over the “gay scene” in Beauty and the Beast.

The actor – who plays Lumière in Bill Condon’s live-action remake of the Disney classic – turned the airwaves blue when he criticised the uproar and confirmed that Josh Gad’s character LeFou is gay.

McGregor made the outburst on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after the chat show host touched on the “little bit of controversy” in the film.

“There’s lots of gay of sex in it…there’s a lot of gay sex in this cartoon,” McGregor quipped.

In character: Ewan McGregor as Lumière 
Disney

Referring to a cinema in Alabama that has cancelled the film over a gay character, he said: “And I think if you live anywhere near Alabama, you should not go and see this film. What would Jesus think?”

Colbert said: “There are rumours that LeFou has gay feelings for Gaston.”

McGregor replied: “It’s just like…he’s a gay character. It’s 2017 for f**** sake.”

LeFou, who plays the sidekick to the villainous Gaston (Luke Evans), enjoys an “exclusively gay moment” at the end of the film during a group dance, which sees him dancing with a woman, before sidling up to a dress-loving henchman.

(Laurie Sparham/Disney)
Disney

The film, starring Emma Watson as Belle alongside Dan Stevens as the Beast, has been pulled from a number of cinemas across the globe including Malaysia.

The country’s two main cinema chains said the film had been postponed indefinitely despite being approved after removing the “gay moment”.

As well as introducing a gay character, the film also takes Belle in a feminist direction and features two interracial couples - something Stanley Tucci said is an even bigger taboo.

The actor, who plays Maestro Cadenza, the husband of Audra McDonald’s character Madame Garderobe, said: “This movie will have more resonance than ever — and is needed more than ever. The idea of two mixed-race couples was very unusual.

“Living in England now, you see that a lot on television, whereas in America you don’t see that very often.

“On TV, you’ll see an advert for insurance and it’s a black woman and a white man or an Asian man and a white woman — never in America do you see this. The fact these things are part of this film is really, really important.”

Beauty and the Beast launch

1/13

Beauty and the Beast is slated for UK cinema release on Friday.

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