By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
“I want to go make a whole other movie off of [her character] because we basically already have the material."
For years we've said that various Disney characters were queer -- have you seen Scar in The Lion King -- but finally, the massive company is set to introduce their first self-identified LGBTQ+ character with a speaking role in a Disney-Pixar project. And better still, the character is played by Lena Waithe, who is also queer.
While these small moments -- and yes, it's been reported that is is also a small moment -- are usually a cause for celebration, the announcement of this new character, which appears in Pixar's Onward, has caused some exasperated sighs by some. While the character is openly lesbian, she is also a cop, which has understandably made the moment bittersweet for a number of people on social media.
"The scene, when we wrote it, was kind of fitting and it opens up the world a little bit, and that's what we wanted," Onward director Dan Scanlon told Yahoo Entertainment. "It's a modern fantasy world and we want to represent the modern world."
The lesbian cyclops cop only appears in one scene of Onward but does so in a role that is described as "vital." Coming in around halfway through the movie, Officer Specter is one of at least three cops in the film according to a poster. The others include Colt Bronco, played by Mel Rodriguez, and Officer Gore, played by Ali Wong.
Like the upcoming gay superhero in The Eternals, Officer Specter has a family of sorts -- as a creation of Marvel, The Eternals is also a Disney production. In the footage, Officer Specter reveals that she has a girlfriend who has a daughter. The girlfriend, nor the daughter, are ever featured in the film.
"[Lena's] so brilliant and she's such an amazing writer that she improved for about an hour," producer Kori Rae said in an interview. "I want to go make a whole other movie off of Officer Specter because we basically already have the material. She wrote it all. She gave us back story and every thing."
Well can't wait to see those out takes.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
