Josh GadA career full of highs and lows — plus plenty of strange moments with A-listers, at least according to his memoirs. In Serious We Trust: Tell some.
“This became the subject of the book,” Gad, 43, said. Us Weekly Exclusively while promoting the bookWhich was released on Tuesday, January 14th. “In the face of adversity, how do you overcome obstacles in order to achieve dreams bigger than you could have ever dreamed for yourself? That was the story of my life.”
Gad explained that he faced “pitfalls” during his rise to fame, which served as “learning curves” throughout his career.
“I love failure because it gives me a platform to succeed,” he said. “Don't let others force you to give up on yourself. I believe that perseverance is just as important as skill. These two things together can be an extremely powerful elixir.
Celebrities, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt, and more, are just like us when it comes to meeting their favorite stars — and other famous stars. Gyllenhaal remembers being impressed when he met Pitt on the set of The Good Girl in the early 2000s. “I was working with Jennifer Aniston, who was his wife in[…]
Gad continued, “I didn't like it at the time, I definitely hated it, but rejection was important to me and is still as important to me as acceptance. Part of it is, 'F-me? F-you. I'm going to prove you wrong.'”
Part inspirational story of success and part reflection of his upbringing (Gad grew up with a single mother and absent father), his book provided moments of fun with some big names.
Keep scrolling for details of celebrity encounters from Gad's memoir:
Share your classroom with the stars
Gad went to high school in Florida where the early days of his acting career began. He wrote it Scott Winger (Steve on Full house (or the voice of Aladdin, depending on which generation you grew up in) was one of his school's “heroes.”
When Gad went to Carnegie Mellon University, the actor discovered that he shared halls with other titans of the industry, including “a young boy from Southern California with a very rich singing voice named.” Josh Grobana wildly gifted, wildly confident kid from Philadelphia named Leslie Odom Jrand a light-skinned Irish boy from Cleveland named Rory O'Malley“. Jad also pointed out that Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello They were his “big brothers” at school.
Best friends for a long time
Gad was a friend of Seth Gable Since childhood. Gable, as some know He went to get married Bryce Dallas Howard. Admittedly, Jade “hated” Howard when he first met her, but they became “lifelong friends” after a one-night stand where he wore a “fluffy pink bathrobe” around New York City.
Roommates couch surfing
Early in his career, Gad was crashing on Gable and Howard's couch in Los Angeles. He wrote that two others were also couch surfing: Katherine Waterston and Jeremy Strongwhom Gad referred to as “an interesting drama graduate from Yale who was working as his intern Daniel Day Lewis“.
An unforgettable meeting with the legend
Those same early years in Los Angeles brought “an exciting or thrilling moment” — including one Robert Downey Jr
Gad wrote that he saw the actor during a trip to The Coffee Bean in 2003. The pair talked about Downey's role in the film. Chaplin.
Take a look at photos of the famous friends — including Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Connie Britton, and Lauren Graham — who were once roommates before they became famous in Hollywood.
“I took a deep breath, patted him on the shoulder, introduced myself, and over the next five minutes, we had a beautiful, inspiring conversation about our admiration for one of the great comedians in the world,” Gad recalls, noting that he “felt very moved” by the interaction.
“As we approached the cashier, (Downey) suddenly turned to me and said, ‘I forgot my wallet.’ Would you mind covering this?’’ Gad wrote.
Whose house is this?
Jad wrote about meeting his girlfriend at her boyfriend’s house, without knowing who owned the house.
“I rang the bell and a few seconds later, my friend, wearing a bathrobe, opened the door. “Before I had a chance to ask her why she was wearing a bathrobe, her boyfriend, the owner of this monstrous house, was strolling by her in a matching bathrobe,” he wrote. It was Jeff Goldblum“.
The trio “made small talk” until Goldblum began doing a Meisner-style acting exercise on Gad. “Why I was playing it with Jeff Goldblum at his house in Mount Olympus on an uncomfortable little pillow, I had no idea and I still have no idea,” Gad shared.
Tax advice from Kelsey Grammer
Gad worked with Grammer in the 2007 series Back to you and Freezer The star once discussed the importance of being “fiscally conservative” while on set.
“Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer shared with me the virtues of paying lower taxes and encouraged me to join the cause (which, had I not grown up in a very liberal household, I probably would have competed with because, well) 'it's really nice to keep money once you've got it',” Gad wrote, explaining that they have remained “incredibly close” over the years.
The artist formerly known as Kevin Spacey
Gad appeared alongside Spacey in the 2008 film 21. While filming the movie, Spacey would take Gad out to dinner and “force” him to do an “impression.” In part of the memoir, Gad explained that this was years before Spacey's legal problems. (Confront the disgraced actor Multiple allegations of sexual assault Since 2017, which he denied. He was acquitted of nine charges in July 2023.)
“It was a weird thing,” Gadd said. we About working with Spacey. “But it was also a sign of respect that he was, I guess, tickled by the fact that I could do voices.”
Harrison Ford says no
Despite working on a 2008 film Transit With Ford, the Hollywood legend has yet to take a photo with Gad in years.
“I was hanging out with a guy Hailee Steinfeldwho was also represented by my agent, when I approached him and took a selfie. “After Hailey took the photo, I asked Harrison if we could also take a photo together,” Gad wrote. “Harrison looked at me and said with that iconic snarl, 'No.'
How Jake Gyllenhaal relates to the 'Book of Mormon'
Gad played Gyllenhaal's boyfriend in the 2010 film Love and other drugs. When they were on their way home from the set, Gad played the Broadway movie's soundtrack.
“I played the opening number. Jake laughed his ass off,” Gad wrote. “I moved on to another song on the album and his face slowly turned from joyful enthusiasm to abject fear and horror.”
Hello, my name is Elder Price
before Andrew Rannells He was cast alongside Gad in Book of Mormon,stars like Cheyenne Jackson, T. R. Knight and Nick Lachey He auditioned for this role.
Meaningful friendship
Serious with Robin Williams (One of his old heroes) behind the scenes at Book of Mormon They began a friendship that lasted until The comedian died in 2014.
“It's very frustrating because you imagine that someone is going to be around forever. There was a lot that I planned to talk to him about. We were talking less and less. I saw him, I think, a year before he died,” Gad said. we. “I could tell he was down. He wasn't his vibrant self, but I didn't really know what was going on. I didn't want to burden him with any conversations, and certainly about myself. I feel grateful that he had the opportunity to hear me talk about the way I He inspired me with it – something I told him personally.
List of fans
Throughout the book, Gad mentions some stars who have proven to be fans. Henry Winkler The actor saw in Putnam's 25th Annual Spelling Bee On Broadway, while Philip Seymour Hoffman went to Book of Mormon. Several stars – Sacha Baron Cohen, Adam Sandler and Melissa McCarthy – He asked Jad to play the voice of Olaf Frozen At parties over the years.
Johnny Depp, YouTube's big man
Gad appeared alongside Depp in the 2017 film Murder on the Orient Express. The two actors would often “watch TV” in Depp's trailer during filming, which meant “old YouTube videos” like “Charlie Bit My Finger.”
According to Gad's book, these clips “stunned Johnny.” While talking to weGad said “it was absolutely brutal” to go through that experience, which he noted was “the last thing” anyone would expect to do with Depp.
“It was this out-of-body experience, just sitting on the couch and going, ‘Oh, yeah, I remember seeing these videos on YouTube 10 years ago.’ But I loved the newness of them to him,” Gad said. we. “Watching him see these things through the eyes of a child was wonderful and wonderful and kind of amazing.”
His final script is with Chadwick Boseman
The late Boseman appeared alongside Gad in the film in 2017 Marshall.
“The production, which was filmed in Buffalo, got off to a somewhat rocky start because Chad had something wrong with his stomach and was being treated for it in Los Angeles,” Gad wrote. “It wasn't until about three years later that I realized that the medical problem was actually colon cancer, and that Chad was somehow making our film in the early stages of the disease that ultimately took his life.”
Gad shared his last text messages with Boseman, from June 2020. “Love you too bro Gad,” the actor wrote. Boseman died two months later.
