Josh Gad Says Avatar Role Fell Through Due to His ‘Overweight Smurf’ Na’vi
Actor has been working in the industry since he was quite young. He is arguably most known as the voice behind Olaf in the Frozen movie series. The Wolf Like Me star recently published his new memoir, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some, in which he revealed that he almost became part of the cast of James Cameron’s 2009 epic sci-fi movie Avatar.
Josh Gad released his memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some in January 2025. The book is a collection of essays in which Gad reflects on his life, the impact his parents’ separation had on him, his struggles with weight and self-image, and the years he has spent in the entertainment industry. He discloses that he sought auditions for movie and TV show roles in the hopes of taking a break from working on a Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee. One of the movies he auditioned for was Avatar.
“I put myself on tape and shortly thereafter got a call that Cameron wanted to fly me to Los Angeles for a final callback at his Lightstorm production offices,” Gad recalled. (via Variety)
The character Gad would have reportedly portrayed is Dr. Norm Spellman, a scientist who was initially supposed to lead the diplomatic mission to the Na’vi. Joel David Moore was eventually cast in that role.
In the memoir, Gad claims that Cameron was “thrilled” with his audion. Despite this, Gad didn’t get to be part of the Avatar cast. According to the actor, this is because “when [he] was turned into a digital Avatar [he] supposedly looked like a tall, overweight Smurf.”
Following its premiere, Avatar became a massive critical and commercial success. It is the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation). Its success led to the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) as well as the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar 4 (2029), and Avatar 5 (2031).
Read more on comingsoon.net
