Though he’s perhaps best known for playing Olaf the snowman in Disney’s Frozen movies today, the role that gave Josh Gad his big break in 2011 was far from family-friendly.
In case you didn’t know, Josh’s star-making role was in the original Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, playing Elder Cunningham.
Even if you’ve not seen The Book of Mormon, you’ll probably know it’s very controversial due to its offensive language and themes. And when Josh was first approached for one of the lead roles, the musical’s shocking nature was definitely a concern.
Having previously admitted that he nearly turned the part down because of how controversial it was, Josh reveals in his newly published memoir — In Gad We Trust — that Jake Gyllenhaal also had concerns about him being a part of the production.
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For context, in 2010, Josh played a small role in the movie Love & Other Drugs, which starred Jake and Anne Hathaway. In his book, he recalls that he and Jake developed a friendship while shooting the film, which led him to seek his advice about a potential stage project.
Josh began by playing Jake the musical’s opening number, “Hello,” which wowed his costar and left him “laughing his ass off.” However, this particular song is pretty tame compared to the rest of the musical, so things quickly took a turn as the songs played on.
“He stopped the car and said, ‘Dude, you cannot do whatever this is. This will be way too controversial. Who the hell wrote this anyway?’ I paused the music and looked over at him. ‘The South Park guys,’” he remembers.
In spite of this, Josh obviously went on to accept the role in the musical, which premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in March 2011. The show was an immediate success, and Josh even earned a Tony nomination during his 15-month stint as Elder Cunningham.
And for what it’s worth, it sounds like Josh’s initial reaction wasn’t all that different from Jake’s. Around the time The Book Of Mormon premiered, Josh told Entertainment Weekly that he was so shocked by a demo recording of one of the show’s controversial numbers that he nearly declined to be involved at all.
However, he said that it was the South Park link that encouraged him to seriously consider being a part of the project, saying: “Matt and Trey have made a career of pushing the envelope. They’re so brilliant at satire. I knew that the people involved were good enough that I had to be a part of the show.”
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