Opinion was divided when it was revealed that Disney had included its first-ever gay character in the new live action remake of Beauty & The Beast, but according to Josh Gad, the controversy has been "completely overblown".
The film shows a very subtle sequence in which Gad's character, LeFou, dances with another man and the move saw an Alabama cinema axe all screenings the movie, while the Russian government has banned people under the age of 16 from seeing it.
Speaking to The Music last week in Sydney while in town to promote the film, Gad addressed the controversy.
"First of all, I think that the entire conversation has sadly been completely overblown and I attribute that to the age of sensationalism that we live in," the 36-year-old said.
"But I think now that audiences are seeing the movie for themselves, I want them to jump to their own conclusions. I don't think there is a lot to it and I look forward to a day where something like this isn't even worthy of a conversation.
"That's sort of the heartbreaking part about this entire thing. I can't wait until we don't have to discuss something like this."
Despite the controversy, both Gad and director Bill Condon have described the moment in the film hinting at LeFou's sexuality as "subtle".
"The themes that I want people talking about are the themes that are as relevant today as they were 300 years ago when Beauty & The Beast was written," Gad continued.
"Never judge a book by its cover. You have a character in the form of Gaston who does what? He whips up a village into frenzy over a character that they've never met, that they've had no interaction with, that they don't know, because they feed into those fears. I think that is something we can all look at and learn from."
Listen to our full chat with Gad on the latest The Music podcast here.
Beauty & The Beast opens in Australian cinemas on 23 March.
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