--- title: Ewan McGregor on Beauty and the Beast Gay Character VIDEO description: Ewan McGregor Has No Time for Fuss Over Beauty and the Beast's 'Gay Character' canonical: https://time.com/4700869/ewan-mcgregor-on-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-14T16:15:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:41:52.507Z og:title: Ewan McGregor Has No Time for Beauty and the Beast Fuss og:description: Lumiere claps back at the backlash to Beauty & the Beast's 'gay character' og:url: https://time.com/4700869/ewan-mcgregor-on-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d8c7f7f31ebef1c/6988be54cd1bba461b7044dd/ewan.jpg?branch=production&width=491&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 491 og:image:height: 276 og:image:alt: Ewan og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ewan McGregor Has No Time for Beauty and the Beast Fuss twitter:description: Lumiere claps back at the backlash to Beauty & the Beast's 'gay character' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d8c7f7f31ebef1c/6988be54cd1bba461b7044dd/ewan.jpg?branch=production&width=491&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'It's 2017.' Ewan McGregor Has No Time for Fuss Over Beauty and the Beast's 'Gay Character' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b4b762fa-7943-4260-8ec8-f71c95fd2489&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Mar 14, 2017 4:15 PM UTC  by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Mar 14, 2017 4:15 PM UTC Ewan McGregor has a lot on his plate right now with both [_T2 Trainspotting_ ](http://time.com/4421546/trainspotting-2-sequel-danny-boyle/?iid=sr-link1)and Disney’s live action version of _Beauty and the Beast_ both hitting theaters on Friday. He’s a busy man and doesn’t have time for the fuss over the gay character in _Beauty and the Beast._ McGregor, who plays Lumière, everyone’s favorite candlestick, in the Disney film, stopped by _The Late Show_ and when Stephen Colbert asked him [about the some of the controversy](http://time.com/4690579/alabama-theater-beauty-and-the-beast-gay/?iid=sr-link2) over Josh Gad’s character, Le Fou, who director Bill Condon said was [gay](http://time.com/4700660/beauty-and-the-beast-disney-malaysia/?iid=sr-link5), McGregor provided the vocal equivalent of rolling his eyes. “He’s a [gay character](http://time.com/4691642/beauty-and-the-beast-russia-ban/?iid=sr-link4)!” McGregor told Colbert. “It’s 2017, for f–k’s sake!” The real shocking revelation was that McGregor admitted that he has never seen the original animated version of the film. “I have never seen it, the original. Is it good?” McGregor asked. Colbert couldn’t quite believe the sacrilege he was hearing. “How could you possibly avoid Disney?” Colbert wondered. “How did you escape from the black hole that is ‘Be Our Guest?’” [McGregor](http://time.com/4644899/ewan-mcgregor-piers-morgan-donald-trump/?iid=sr-link1) tried to explain: --- > “” --- Nice save, McGregor. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4700869/ewan-mcgregor-on-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4700869/ewan-mcgregor-on-beauty-and-the-beast-gay-character/"},"headline":"'It's 2017.' 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