It’s unbelievable but true: this year will once again be closed by an Avatar film, Fire and Ash. So, we don’t have to wait over a decade for a continuation of James Cameron's monumental sci-fi epic. The new episode will introduce a new Na'vi tribe called the Ash People, expanding the mythology. Why not introduce some slightly plumper Pandora creatures into the mix? However, according to Josh Gad, this would be ridiculous—at least in his case—because the Disney star could have appeared in Avatar as a native, or more precisely, as a human translator "disguised" in a Na'vi body, but he was just too overweight for the role.
Gad’s memoir, In Gad We Trust, was recently released, in which the actor shares stories about his early career, breakthrough, and current life. Variety quoted a passage in which Gad talks about the Avatar casting. In the mid-2000s, he was still trying to find his footing, far from projects like Frozen or Beauty and the Beast. So, he was constantly attending both TV and film auditions. One of his attempts was for "some new James Cameron movie," which turned out to be Avatar. As Gad recalled, he came pretty close to landing a role in the first film:
"I sent in a tape of myself, and shortly after, I got a call saying Cameron wanted me to fly to Los Angeles for a final audition at the Lightstorm office. […] If it had worked out, I would have played Jake Sully's (Sam Worthington) best friend and translator, helping him communicate with the alien Na'vi. […] But obviously, it didn’t happen, because although James Cameron was convinced by my audition when they digitally turned me into an Avatar, I ended up looking like a tall, overweight Smurf."
The character in question is Dr. Norm Spellman, the human expert studying Pandora’s wildlife and tribes as part of the Avatar Program, alongside Sigourney Weaver’s character, Grace. The role was ultimately played by Joel David Moore in the 2009 blockbuster. Who knows, maybe Cameron will find a role for Gad in the fourth or fifth installment!
