Josh Gad.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBOJosh Gad remove the Band-Aid on his future memories, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Someproving that he is much more than just a musical Mormon and an animated snowman.
The triple threat was lowered by Us Weekly exclusively to look back at some of his most memorable stories from the book (published Tuesday, January 14), including his slow rise to fame, which required putting in the work despite hard times and obstacles along the way. Today, however, Gad can say he has officially succeeded. With this book, he tells personal and professional stories. Confused about what he called “a storyteller”? The actor was quick to set the record straight.
“It’s more of a joke. If there’s anything, I tell it all and then some,” Gad explained us. “I watched the training as I was getting further in, as if it was therapy in front of the mirror. The more vulnerable I became, the more I allowed myself to go down that path – even though I was hesitant, scared and, perhaps, resistant.”
Gad decided he wanted to give people a reason to read this book, which meant being honest.
“It was kind of an obvious decision, but also a deep one for me, because I’m not usually an open book — no pun intended,” he explained. “I learned a lot about myself in the process of writing this and talking about all aspects, from personal to career to family stuff.”
It’s impossible for actors not to have a “worst audition” story after years of trying for roles – but some stand out more than others. Matt LeBlanc’s worst audition landed him the role of Joey Tribbiani on Friends, one of his most famous characters to date. “I remember entering (…)
of Frozen star writes about having an absent father for most of his life and explains how it affected his journey into parenthood. (Gad shares Ava, 13, and Isabella, 10, with his wife Ida Darvish.)
For those more interested in his Hollywood success, he also shares many career anecdotes.
“I really enjoyed the writing (of the book) and I hope that everyone who reads it takes away something that is useful and inspires them,” he said. us. “At least I hope they have a good laugh.”
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Live from New York… It’s Rejection
After graduating in 2003 from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Gad decided to try for Saturday Night Live. His friend Bryce Dallas Howard recruited her father, a famous director Ron Howardto open his audition tape – however Gadi was rejected three times.
“I like to fail because it gives me a platform to succeed. Don’t let others force you to give up on yourself. I think persistence is just as important as skill,” Gad said. “I didn’t love it at the time, of course I hated it – but the rejection was as important to me and continues to be as important to me as the acceptance. Part of it is, ‘F— me? F – you. I will prove you wrong.”
A lifelong struggle
“I have always been uncomfortable and ashamed of my overweight body,” Gad wrote in the book. By 2007, Hollywood had put him in a “fat best friend” box when it came to casting, something he worried would continue throughout his career.
“It’s always in the background,” he admitted us. “I hope that discussing issues like weight struggles (and) severe anxiety gives people a sense (of), ‘If I can be here and do this and overcome those things, but still deal with to, you have this. We’ve got this together.’ I felt strongly that this was something I needed to talk about (in the book), as uncomfortable as it was.”
Friendship with an icon
Viewing Aladdin at the age of 11 deeply influenced Gad. Robin WilliamsGenie made him want to voice a Disney cartoon character (which he did with Olaf in 2013 Frozen). After Gadi met the legend during his run in the The Book of Mormonthey started a friendship that ended very quickly. (Williams died by suicide at age 63 in August 2014.)
“It’s very disappointing because you imagine someone is going to be around forever. There was so much I had planned to talk to him about. We had talked less and less. I saw him, I think, a year before he passed,” Gadi recalled. “I could tell he was down. He wasn’t his living self, but I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t want to burden him with any conversation, certainly about myself. I feel grateful that he would have had the opportunity to hear me talk about how he inspired me – it’s something I told him personally.”
An unforgettable meeting
Years ago Kevin SpaceyWith his fall from grace, Gad appeared alongside him in the 2008 film 21. During filming, he wrote, Spacey would “force” him into an “impression” over dinners in Boston. (The disgraced actor has faced multiple sexual assault allegations since 2017, which he has denied. He was acquitted of nine counts in July 2023.)
“It was such a strange thing,” Gadi said us. “But it also felt like a sign of respect where he was really, I think, tickled that I could do voices.”
Gad explained that he wasn’t worried about bringing Spacey into the book.
“I’m not saying anything unpleasant,” he continued. “This is my life; these are the people i met. Kevin Spacey is one of them and I have a very fun story to tell. I’ll leave the controversy to other writers, but just tell you, hopefully, an anecdote that will make you go, “That’s wild.”
