Chris Evans on Anti-Gay Critics: ‘The Truth Is Those People Are Idiots’
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Actor Chris Evans who voices Buzz Lightyear responding to Disney removing and then restoring a same-sex kiss in #Lightyear “It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion … The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm.”
Chris Evans speaks on Disney removing and then restoring a same-sex kiss in #Lightyear
“It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion … The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm”
(via @Variety) pic.twitter.com/GJ0PR5HeKS
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) June 14, 2022
“The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said. “Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good.”
Lightyear was banned in the United Arab Emirates because it depicts homosexuality, and Disney has been unable to secure permission to show it in 13 other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Lightyear is a prequel to Pixar’s acclaimed Toy Story franchise.
Evans voices Buzz Lightyear, a legendary space ranger. Buzz’s close friend in the film is a female space ranger who marries another woman. A scene showing milestones in the couple’s relationship includes a brief kiss.
“There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs,” Evans said. “I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human.”
Producer Galyn Susman asked why viewers “don’t get more upset showing failed relationships”. In Lightyear, “we have a relationship here which lasts an entire lifetime. It’s loving, it’s supportive and it shows Buzz exactly what he doesn’t have and that’s the whole point. We should all be so lucky to have that kind of relationship in our life.”
Lightyear is set to debut in theatres in the United States and Canada on Friday.
In May, Disney refused requests to cut same-sex references in Marvel movie Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Saudi Arabia and a handful of other Middle Eastern countries did not show the film.
