Why Josh Gad Didn’t Land a Major Role in ‘Avatar’

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Josh Gad openly shares the amusing reason behind his non-selection for James Cameron’s Avatar franchise in his newly released memoir, “In Gad We Trust.” Despite making it deep into the audition process, which included a trip to Los Angeles to meet with director Cameron, he ultimately missed out on the role because of his unique physical feature – his blue appearance.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Gad had applied for the part of Jake Sully’s friend and interpreter to the alien race called the Na’vi during a rather gloomy stint in the Broadway musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, in 2006. Despite being obligated to remain in the show until his contract ended, Gad pleaded with the producers for an opportunity to audition for future roles.

In my own words, as a passionate cinephile, I found myself in a challenging situation when I was performing on Broadway. As much as I yearned for a break from the show due to my mental well-being, my producer, David Stone, was reluctant to let me go. He made it clear that leaving wasn’t an option at the time. However, in a surprising turn of events, he agreed to allow me to audition for film and television roles, and even promised to release me if I managed to secure one of those opportunities.

It seems that one of the initial places I visited was to catch the latest James Cameron film titled “Avatar“.

Why Josh Gad Did Not Land A Major Role in ‘Avatar,’ According To Him

After recording myself, I received a call soon after from Cameron inviting me to fly to Los Angeles for a final audition at his Lightstorm studio. However, despite Cameron being pleased with my performance, I didn’t end up getting the role because when they turned me into a digital Avatar, it seemed I looked like a tall and plump Smurf.

In my perspective as a movie reviewer, I must clarify that while James Cameron initially seemed to be considering James Horan for a role similar to Dr. Norm Spellman, portrayed later by Joel David Moore in the 2009 blockbuster “Avatar,” neither Cameron nor Gad have officially confirmed whether this was indeed the character Horan auditioned for or if it was another role that was eventually cut from the final script.

2009 was a significant year for Gad despite missing out on a role earlier. It marked the beginning of his career breakthrough when he landed roles in Cameron’s epic fantasy film and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show as a correspondent, which he continued with for several years. Following this, he was cast in The Book of Mormon, the Broadway musical that propelled him to fame, and eventually led to his most significant role yet: Olaf the snowman in Disney’s Frozen franchise.

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2025-01-21 04:03