Chris Evans has hit back at people complaining about the inclusion of a same-sex couple in Pixar’s Lightyear, calling them "idiots".
The animated movie shows the character Alisha Hawthorne, played by Uzo Aduba, and her female partner briefly kissing. It's a moment that breaks new ground for Pixar, as the movie studio's first same-sex on-screen kiss.
Evans 41, who voices the space ranger in the Toy Story spin-off, slammed critics of the movie after it was banned in several Middle Eastern countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
During a recent interview with Reuters, Evans was asked about those who oppose the inclusion of representations and diversity in movies, to which he replied: "The real truth is those people are idiots."
Watch Evans' interview below:"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," Evans added.
Disney has also been unable to secure approval to show the Pixar movie in 13 other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Lebanon.
The UAE's Ministry of Youth and Culture's Media Regulatory Office explained that the movie is not being shown in the country because it is "not licensed for public screening" due to its "violation of the country's media content standards".
The Captain American actor explained to Reuters that despite the mixed reviews, all that can be done now is to disregard those who are against diversity.
"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."
The producer of Lightyear, Galyn Susman, asked why viewers "don't get more upset showing failed relationships", stating that they show a relationship "which lasts an entire lifetime" in the animation.
"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," Susman said.
As reported by The Independent, earlier this year Pixar restored the same-sex kiss in Lightyear after staff released an open letter condemning Disney’s response to Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill.
Susman told Digital Spy that it was important to reinstate the kiss scene: "We have a kiss. We've always had [a] lesbian couple. They've always been a part of the film [and] being able to put back the kiss was important to us."
Lightyear is out in movie theaters on Friday, June 17.
