By now, you well know that an “exclusively gay moment†is featured in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, which — without getting into the nitty-gritty spoiler-y details — involves Josh Gad’s LeFou, who’s the first-ever gay character in the Disney canon. The loyal sidekick of Luke Evans’s vain Gaston travels with his friend to attempt to retrieve Belle from the confines of the Beast’s castle and, in the process, some viewers say, harbors unrequited romantic feelings for Gaston. However, Evans doesn’t share the same opinion and sees the duo only as being close friends. “There’s a lot of authenticity there, they’re like best buddies, they’ve been in each other’s lives for a very long time,†Evans told THR in a new interview. “I remember when I was a young kid and I always looked up to my older friends and thought, ‘Ah. One day I want to be like them. I want to play rugby like them. Everybody thinks they’re the best, I want to be that person.’ I think LeFou looks up to Gaston in that way — as a hero. I certainly don’t think there was anything more outside that relationship. They’re just good friends. What’s lovely about LeFou’s character is he finds his soul and his identity throughout the movie just as everybody else does.â€
This opinion differs from that of BATB’s director, Bill Condon, who previously stated LeFou comes to terms with his sexuality through being Gaston’s sidekick. “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,†Condon explained. “He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings.†Conflicting feelings all around, then.