'Beauty and the Beast' Director Wants to Rip Pages Out of Bible
Writer and director Bill Condon drew controversy recently when he revealed that the live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast" that he directed will feature Disney's first "exclusively gay moment." Now, an interview he did with a travel magazine five years ago has resurfaced wherein expressed his urge to tear the Bible.
In the February 2012 issue of Passport Magazine, Condon was asked what he does when getting into a hotel room, to which he replied: "I wish I could say I'm like Ian McKellen and immediately go rip pages out of the Bible, but there don't seem to be bibles in the hotel rooms I stay in these days. So it's figuring out how to get online."
He was referring to McKellen's remark from a 2011 Vanity Fair interview about his disdain for the Bible.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"I don't mind there being injunctions against eating shellfish or the injunctions against wearing cotton and wool clothing," the star of "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" said, pertaining to the Book of Leviticus. "I only get offended when it suggests that men shouldn't make love to each other."
In Attitude magazine, Condon talked about Josh Gad's character LeFou in "Beauty and the Beast."
"LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," the director said. "He's confused about what he wants. It's somebody who's just realizing that he has these feelings."
The revelation attracted criticisms with calls to boycott the movie. A group called One Million Moms started a pledge drive calling all parents not to support the adaptation of the 1991 animated film. It has gathered 63,147 signatures as of press time. Christian News also reported about the decision of Henagar Drive-In Theater in Alabama not to show the movie.
