It was only revealed a few hours ago, but already some of the right-wing press are talking about it as if it’s the official end of the world, but there’s going to be an ‘exclusively gay’ moment in a Disney movie. It’s been a long time coming, as despite the company itself and its theme parks being known as extremely gay-friendly, on-screen Disney has a very bad track record with LGBT characters. Indeed, in last year’s GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index, the studio was singled out for not including a single identifiably LGBT character in any of its movies.
While there have been plenty of hints and potential gay subtext in a lot of the studio’s films (enough that some Christian groups are convinced that any Disney film that has a theme suggesting someone should be themselves, is trying to turn the whole world gay), there haven’t been any properly, unequivocally gay moments in any of Disney’s family movies. However, if director Bill Condon is to be believed, that will change with the live-action Beauty & The Beast.
He tells Attitude that the movie will add a little more the story of the arrogant Gaston’s acolyte, Lefou, played by Josh Gad. Condon says, “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”
There’s no info on exactly what the scene it, but it would suggest that at the end of the film, Lefou might get a bit of romance with a man who isn’t Gaston. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s played, and whether it’s done in a explicit way, or whether Disney will hedge its bets by having it as something that adults will understand while it’ll go over the kids’ heads.
Disney has flirted with gay characters before, but usually in coded or secretive ways. For example, in last year’s Zootropolis, Judy Hopps’ male neighbours may well have been a gay couple. This wasn’t clear from the actual film (they could have been roommates), and no one even thought about it until it was noticed in the credits they had the same surname. The Beauty & The Beast scene certainly seems like it’ll be a step forward, although not exactly the sort of fully realised LGBT storyline we might like to see in a Disney movie.
Well, writers have something new to include when it comes to Oscars biggest gaffes and bloopers – and this one will probably top the list for a very long time. Faye Dunaway read out that La La Land had won the Best Picture Oscar, the producers came up to the stage, and then, partway through the acceptance speeches, they were interrupted to be told, actually no, it was Moonlight that was the big winner.
Do you know one of the reasons the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs manage to attract so many star names? It’s because of when they’re held. The Golden Globes come just a few days before AMPAS members have to submit who they think should be nominated for the Oscars, and the BAFTAs come just before the deadline for them to say who they think should win.
W
It’s been revealed that Eva Green and Gemma Arterton have signed up to star Vita & Virginia, based on the true story of the love affair between Bloomsbury Group luminaries Virginia Woolf and VIta Sackville-West. Chanya Button (Burn, Burn, Burn) is set to direct the movie, working from a script by Dame Eileen Atkins (adapted from her 1992 play).
The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association Dorian Award winners have been announced, and not too surprisingly, a lot of love has gone to Moonlight. The melancholy gay-themed drama, adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play about three phases of a man’s life, won five Dorians, including Film of the Year, LGBTQ Film of the Year, Director and Screenplay for Barry Jenkins and Best Film Actor for Mahershala Ali. Trevante Rhodes, who was nominated for Actor alongside Ali, was given the ‘We’re Wilde About You!’ Rising Star Award (named for the group’s patron saint, Oscar Wilde).
The Oscar nominations are here, and while many expected La La Land to do well, few expected it to tie for the record of most noms ever. It now matches All About Eve and the all-conquering Titanic with 14 nominations. As expected La La Land’s nomination haul included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Ryan Gosling and Best Actress for Emma Stone, as well as a raft of nods in everything from Best Original Song to Best Cinematography.