No burden in this Beast
Actor finds joy in live-action remake of animated classic
LOS ANGELES — Josh Gad had some scene-stealing moments voicing Olaf in Disney’s animated hit Frozen. Now he’s doing it in the flesh portraying Lefou in the live-action Mouse House remake of Beauty and the Beast.
What’s his secret? “I bribed Disney early on with some blackmail stuff I had on Mickey Mouse,” Gad jokes, “and it paid off.”
The 36-year old is also a funny guy in Beauty and the Beast, playing the fawning sidekick of Gaston (Luke Evans), the dullard hunk who has a crush on village beauty Belle (Emma Watson).
Apparently, Lefou has “bromantic feelings” for Gaston, as well. But Gad insists the media have overstated the gay reference.
“This (gay) thing has become a nice opportunity for sensation,” he says. “Far more controversial is that my horse during filming was anti-Semitic.”
More seriously, he adds, “I feel like there are other themes in this movie that I wish people were talking about. And on the top of that list is fearing that which we don’t understand.”
Even director Bill Condon says the Lefou revision was meant to be an inclusive element in the story, not a lightning rod for debate.
“It’s about looking closer, going deeper, and accepting people for who they really are. And in a very Disney way, we are including everybody,” Condon says. “I think this movie is for everybody, and on the screen you’ll see everybody, and that was important to me, and I think to all of us.”
Back at the narrative, complications arise — as they did in the 1991 animated musical — when Belle is held prisoner in the castle of the Beast (Dan Stevens in performance capture). She’s surrounded by talking objects again — including Lumière the candelabra (voiced by Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth the pendulum clock (Ian McKellen), Garderobe the wardrobe (Audra McDonald). And, of course, there is Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson).
Four new songs mix with the memorable tunes from the original film musical (there was also a Broadway song-and-dance spectacular). But one of the show stopper’s in the new production is Gad’s Lafou and Evan’s Gaston performing the old favourite from the animation — the song Gaston.
It’s not a surprise that they excelled at the lively duet. Gad enjoyed his breakout on Broadway with The Book of Mormon and Evans introduced himself in London’s West End with roles in Rent and Miss Saigon.
“I immediately looked at Luke on day one of rehearsal and said to myself, ‘this is going to work,’ ” Gad says. “Luke has this thing where he makes Gaston so charming that you can’t help but sort of root for him, and that makes Gaston so much more interesting as a villain.”
Certainly, Gad and Condon had more to do in “bringing the cartoon conceit of Lefou” to live-action life. While they were shaping him, both the performer and director agreed Lefou provided an opportunity to instil a fool’s wisdom into the new narrative.
“We said, ‘What if he has, dare I say it, a conscience, and that becomes the guiding arc of this version?’ ” Gad says. “That premise gave me a lot to play with.”
The pre-shoot collaboration with the filmmaker also provided the actor with a belief they were on the right track.
“There’s always a fear when you tackle something that’s perfect to begin with,” Gad says of the animated musical. “But after (Condon) and I worked together, I felt the part would be a great opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Gad just wrapped reimagining another classic, Murder on the Orient Express. He plays Hector McQueen in the whodunit thriller but he can’t discuss much. He does marvel at Kenneth Branagh’s creative energy portraying detective Hercule Poirot and also directing the Agatha Christie movie while also starring in The Entertainer on a London stage.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gad says of Branagh’s efforts. “It was inspirational, and it made me think, ‘What am I doing with my time?’ ”
Speaking of time, fans want to know when it will be time for Gad to reprise his Olaf portrayal in the Frozen sequel.
“I always feel there is a Disney lawyer around the corner when I’m asked about Frozen 2,” he says. “The truth is I don’t know much. But we are gearing up for it and they are writing it.”