Josh Gad relives making it to the final round of auditions for Avatar
only to be cut for a unique reason. Directed by James Cameron and released in 2009, the sci-fi action epic stars Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine who joins forces with the native aliens of Pandora against invading humans. The Avatar cast includes Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Stephen Lang as Miles Quaritch, Sigourney Weaver as Grace Augustine, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, and Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, but, Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, is not among them.
In his new memoir, In Gad We Trust (via EW), Gad reveals that he made it quite far in the audition process for the first Avatar before losing out on the part. Gad reveals that he was up for “the role of Jake Sully’s best friend and translator to the alien race known as the Na’vi.” Though he doesn’t specify, Gad could be referring to Norm.
“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 writes. Ultimately, though, the actor didn’t get into the film because, as he puts it, “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.“
What Gad’s Failed Audition Means For Avatar
Norm Spellman’s Role Explained
It’s possible that Gad is exaggerating for comedic effect here, but the Avatar movies do make a point of translating actors’ likenesses into their Na’vi counterparts. This is especially true for those who play Avatars, instead of true Na’vi. When it comes to the native Na’vi, there’s evidently a little more flexibility since audiences aren’t seeing those actors as humans on-screen. Weaver, for example, who is 75, plays teen Na’vi Kiri in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Moore plays a prominent supporting role as Norm in the first Avatar, eventually joining Jake in his fight against the RDA and opting to stay on Pandora after they’re defeated. Norm, a scientist, returned in the sequel and played a more minor role, and he’s set to appear once more in the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. Presumably, he’ll be returning in the fourth and fifth movies as well. Norm sounds like the most likely character that Gad was up for, and, if so, he evidently missed out not just on one movie, but potentially five.
After Fire and Ash later this year, Avatar 4 isn’t scheduled to hit theaters until 2029. The fifth movie is scheduled to arrive in 2031.
Our Take On Gad’s Failed Avatar Audition
Could He Still Appear In The James Cameron Franchise?
Gad is a strong comedic actor, and likely would have made for a great ally to Jake in the Avatar movies. That being said, Cameron’s sci-fi franchise excels, in part, due to its casting. Even though Norm is a minor character compared to Jake and Neytiri, it’s still hard to imagine anyone other than Moore playing him at this point.
Though Gad definitely won’t be appearing in the upcoming third movie, it’s possible, though perhaps unlikely, that he could enter the world of Avatar in the fourth or fifth movies. Those movies have both been written, but, aside from some work that’s been done on the fourth, haven’t yet been filmed. After missing out on the first movie, there could be a character in Avatar 4 or 5 for Gad to take on.
Source: In Gad We Trust by Josh Gad (via EW)
