Josh Gad Shares the Blunt Reason Why He Wasn't Cast in 'Avatar'

Josh Gad became the well-known actor he is today thanks to roles in Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and the Broadway production of The Book of Mormon. But in another universe, the 43-year-old nearly got his big break in James Cameron's epic 2009 sci-fi film Avatar.

In his new memoir In Gad We Trust, which was released on Jan. 14, Gad recalled his unpleasant experience starring in the 2005 Broadway musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee before he was famous. He had replaced actor and comedian Dan Fogler in the production, but apparently soon regretted his decision.

Via Entertainment Weekly, Gad said that he had "begged the producer, David Stone, to let me go for my own mental health, but he told me that it wasn't an option. He did agree, however, to let me audition for film and TV and offered to give me an out if I booked one of those gigs."

"One of the first things I went out for was a new James Cameron movie called Avatar," Gad continued, explaining that he auditioned "to play the role of Jake Sully’s best friend and translator to the alien race known as the Na’vi."

The character in question did not end up making the final cut of the film, though it's unclear whether it was written out or rewritten. The role sounds similar to that of Dr. Norm Spellman, portrayed by Joel David Moore, a xenoanthropologist with the Avatar Program who is conversant in both English and Na'vi.

"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 in the book. However, he admitted that ultimately it was "a role I apparently did not get because, while James Cameron was said to be thrilled with my audition, when I was turned into a digital Avatar I supposedly looked like a tall, overweight Smurf."

It would only be a few years later before Gad would get a flurry of breaks, with lead roles in the 2008 comedy The Rocker opposite Rainn Wilson at the height of his The Office fame and the short-lived Fox sitcom Back to You; as well as appearances in the beloved Starz sitcom Party Down and The Daily Show.