Josh Gad Reveals Why He Missed Out on an Avatar Role: Smurf-Gate 2009

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Josh Gad is opening up about the one time he almost joined Pandora but got blue-balled by James Cameron.

In his hilariously titled memoir, In Gad We Trust (which we can only assume is now a top contender for Book Club of the Year), the 43-year-old actor spills the tea about auditioning for Avatar, the 2009 blockbuster that turned people into obsessive blue alien fans overnight. Spoiler alert: Gad did not end up being one of those blue aliens.

β€œI put myself on tape,” Josh recalled, likely in his living room with a camera propped on a stack of books because, hey, humble beginnings. β€œNot long after, I got a call saying James Cameron himself wanted to fly me to LA for a final callback at his Lightstorm production offices.” You know, no big dealβ€”just the King of the World casually summoning you to his cinematic spaceship of a studio.

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The role in question? Jake Sully’s (played by Sam Worthington) bestie and translator, the guy who would help him understand the Na’vi language, their culture, and probably their questionable tree-climbing safety regulations. Gad was this close to being a part of movie history.

But alas, destiny had other plans, and those plans apparently included traumatizing Josh with some… let’s say, unexpected visual effects.

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β€œI apparently did not get [the role],” Gad explained, β€œbecause, while James Cameron was thrilled with my audition, when I was turned into a digital Avatar, I supposedly looked like a tall, overweight Smurf.” That’s right. A Smurf. Not even a majestic Na’vi warriorβ€”just Papa Smurf’s long-lost cousin who moonlights as a baritone in the Smurf choir.

In the end, the role went to Joel David Moore, who played Norm Spellman, Jake Sully’s nerdy sidekick and Na’vi linguistics expert. Joel was everything the Na’vi could have hoped forβ€”skinny, appropriately blue, and definitely not giving off β€œSmurf on steroids” energy.

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So, while Gad didn’t get to live his best Na’vi life, he can at least rest easy knowing that his rejection story is chef’s kiss comedy gold. And who knows, maybe there’s a Smurf reboot with his name on it.

Josh Gad Reveals Why He Missed Out on an Avatar Role: Smurf-Gate 2009

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