--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty…" description: "\"Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,' could be a bit flamboyant onscreen, because basically, he is a cartoon. But they didn't want ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/david-ogden-stiers-17741_beast_cogsworth-the-character-i-did-on-beauty_2722952.jpg" --- # Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,'… ![“Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,' could be a bit flamboyant onscreen, because basically, he is a cartoon. But they didn't want Cogsworth to become Disney's gay character, because it got around a gay man was playing him.” quote by David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/david-ogden-stiers-17741_beast_cogsworth-the-character-i-did-on-beauty_2722952.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/david-ogden-stiers-17741_beast_cogsworth-the-character-i-did-on-beauty_2722952.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/david-ogden-stiers-17741_beast_cogsworth-the-character-i-did-on-beauty_2722952.jpg) > “Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,' could be a bit flamboyant onscreen, because basically, he is a cartoon. But they didn't want Cogsworth to become Disney's gay character, because it got around a gay man was playing him.” [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains that Disney avoided making Cogsworth overtly gay to prevent controversy over a gay actor portraying a cartoon. **In simple terms:** Disney avoided overt LGBTQ representation for fear of backlash. Key Takeaway Consider representation versus audience reaction. Themes representation LGBTQ+ media animation Mood thoughtful cautious Type media cultural When to use this quote - family films - casting decisions - public relations Key Concepts cultural sensitivity character design Questions to Reflect On - Should creators prioritize authenticity over potential backlash? - How does hidden representation affect audiences? A Different Perspective Avoiding representation can marginalize communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ## Related quotes > [I never quite understood why Disney hadn't made a sincere fairy tale since 'Beauty and the Beast.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-never-quite-understood-why-disney-hadn-t-made-a-sincere-fairy-tale/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-latest-incarnation-of-oedipus-the-continued-romance-of-beauty-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [To me you'er not cinderella or barbie you are the beauty and I am the beast , but the thing is looks are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dess-smith/to-me-you-er-not-cinderella-or-barbie-you-are-the-beauty-and-i-am-the/) [Dess Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dess-smith/) > [“Warning: This beauty and the beast-inspired story is quick, filthy, and over-the-top alpha. Hold on to your Kindles because Reid's inner beast finally gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-riley/warning-this-beauty-and-the-beast-inspired-story-is-quick-filthy-and/) [Alexa Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-riley/) > [The first show I ever did, singing and dancing, was Beauty and the Beast. I was playing Gaston. Gaston has red tights, knee high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/the-first-show-i-ever-did-singing-and-dancing-was-beauty-and-the/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-the-great-lesson-of-beauty-and-the-beast-that-a-thing-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was so glad I did Beauty and the Beast. I always wanted to act, and if the bankruptcy thing hadn't happened, I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/i-was-so-glad-i-did-beauty-and-the-beast-i-always-wanted-to-act-and/) [Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/) > [I saw 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Little Mermaid,' 'The Lion King,' 'Mary Poppins' - I saw all of those before I was introduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/i-saw-beauty-and-the-beast-little-mermaid-the-lion-king-mary-poppins/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [I always loved Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'. I always thought I looked like her, so I dressed like her for every Halloween.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-carson/i-always-loved-belle-from-beauty-and-the-beast-i-always-thought-i/) [Sofia Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-carson/) > [If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-he-could-learn-to-love-another-and-earn-her-love-in-return-by-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We’re kind of like Beauty and the Beast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-palacio/we-re-kind-of-like-beauty-and-the-beast/) [R.J. Palacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-palacio/) > [Beauty and the Beast became the first animated feature ever nominated for best picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-maltin/beauty-and-the-beast-became-the-first-animated-feature-ever-nominated/) [Leonard Maltin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-maltin/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [I've heard people tell me there's never been a gay character like Agron on TV before, and some fans have even thanked me because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-feuerriegel/i-ve-heard-people-tell-me-there-s-never-been-a-gay-character-like/) [Dan Feuerriegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-feuerriegel/) > [I tend to get reactions just by being on screen, because I guess I'm physically queer-coded or something. Especially with 'Star Wars;' I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-o-brian/i-tend-to-get-reactions-just-by-being-on-screen-because-i-guess-i-m/) [Katy O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-o-brian/) ## More by David Ogden Stiers > [Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/family-means-no-one-gets-left-behind-or-forgotten/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [A lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/a-lot-of-my-income-has-been-derived-from-voicing-disney-and-family/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [If it's right and true, it's listened to and accommodated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/if-it-s-right-and-true-it-s-listened-to-and-accommodated/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [It's really important to stay engaged and involved in the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/it-s-really-important-to-stay-engaged-and-involved-in-the-character/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I've played Lear three times, I would love to do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-ve-played-lear-three-times-i-would-love-to-do-it-again/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Kids now are so used to surround sound and the power in theater speakers, that the concert hall is a disappointment to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/kids-now-are-so-used-to-surround-sound-and-the-power-in-theater/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [When something really extreme happens, you have to find a way to embrace that and include it in how you think about the character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/when-something-really-extreme-happens-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I am not a long-run actor. I admire actors who can do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-am-not-a-long-run-actor-i-admire-actors-who-can-do-that/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Very often, I don't make it through moments of recording because it is genuinely funny and absolutely ridiculous that a 60-year-old grown man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/very-often-i-don-t-make-it-through-moments-of-recording-because-it-is/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Every time I hear, Cut. Print, something cold and electrical goes off in my head, because I'm never going to change that film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/every-time-i-hear-cut-print-something-cold-and-electrical-goes-off-in/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [It's rare to be treated like a friend you haven't met in a Hollywood meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/it-s-rare-to-be-treated-like-a-friend-you-haven-t-met-in-a-hollywood/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Fun can happen on the interior. Nobody knows about it, but there are fireworks going on inside your spirit when you hear a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/fun-can-happen-on-the-interior-nobody-knows-about-it-but-there-are/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Something happens to us all when we experience something as a unit that doesn't occur when we're on our couches or holding our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/something-happens-to-us-all-when-we-experience-something-as-a-unit/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [People are nice enough, but you can hear the giant tick of the second hand. People are so harried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/people-are-nice-enough-but-you-can-hear-the-giant-tick-of-the-second/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I had a meeting in LA in which they took a really overstuffed hour and a half. It was as close to old Hollywood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-had-a-meeting-in-la-in-which-they-took-a-really-overstuffed-hour/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) [Explore all 36 David Ogden Stiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) ## More Beast quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) [Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,' could be a bit flamboyant onscreen, because basically, he is a cartoon. 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