The theater's owner announces via Facebook that Henagar Drive-In won't screen the Emma Watson-starring movie due to the involvement of Disney's first homosexual character.
- Mar 4, 2017
AceShowbiz - "Beauty and the Beast (2017)" is making headlines with its first gay character LeFou, portrayed by Josh Gad. But it seems like not everybody is okay with the character. Henagar Drive-In theater in DeKalb County, Alabama, has canceled its screening of the Disney movie due to the involvement of the gay character.
The theater's new owner announced the decision to not screen the movie via Facebook, saying, "That being said... It is with great sorrow that I have to tell our customers that we will not be showing 'Beauty and the Beast' at the Henagar Drive-In when it comes out." The statement continues, "When companies continually force their views on us, we need to take a stand. We all make choices and I am making mine. For those that do not know 'Beauty and the Beast' is 'premiering' their first homosexual character. The producer also says at the end of the movie 'there will be a surprise for same-sex couples.' "
"If we cannot take our 11-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it. If I can't sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me, then we have no business showing it. I know there will be some that do not agree with this decision. That's fine... We are first and foremost Christians. We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches. We will continue to show family-oriented films so you can feel free to come watch wholesome movies without worrying about sex, nudity, homosexuality and foul language," so the Facebook statement read.
In "Beauty and the Beast", LeFou is the sidekick of the movie's villain Gaston, played by Luke Evans. "LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," director Bill Condon told Attitude Magazine. "He's confused about what he wants. It's somebody who's just realizing 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."
Meanwhile, talking about his character, Gad said, "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 that makes him a wonderfully complex character to some extent." The actor then called the dance scene "subtle but incredibly effective."
Starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, "Beauty and the Beast" is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on March 17.
