Josh Gad Recalls Being Passed Over for 'Avatar,' Jokes His Na'vi Was an 'Overweight Smurf'

Josh Gad almost appeared in James Cameron’s Avatar.

In his new memoir, In Gad We Trust, the actor looks back on auditioning for various TV and film roles, including the 2009 sci-fi film.

“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,” he said, in an excerpt from Variety.

Gad was auditioning for “the role of Jake Sully’s best friend and translator to the alien race known as the Na’vi.”

Gad explained, “I apparently did not get [the role] 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.”

Joel David Moore later snagged the role, playing Norm Spellman alongside Sam Worthington’s Sully.

Avatar arrived on Dec. 18, 2009, and quickly became the highest-grossing film ever. In the time since its debut, it has earned $2.9 billion globally. Its sequel, 2022’s Avatar: The Way of the Water is two places behind at No. 3, with lifetime earnings of $2.3 billion. Cameron recently shared that the franchise’s third movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash will arrive Dec. 19, 2025.