Starring in a Frozen movie would be a big deal for anyone, but Josh Gad revealed another reason why it was extra special for him to be a part of the franchise — and it involves Idina Menzel, who reprises her role as Elsa in Frozen 2.
“I remember being in high school and seeing you in Rent and having the biggest crush on you ever,” Gad, who returns as Olaf the snowman in the film, said to Menzel on PeopleTV at the Frozen 2 premiere on Thursday. “You never told me that!” the actress replied, shocked.
“I’m admitting it for the first time ever. And then saw her in college in Wicked and was like, ‘One day I’m either going to marry her or costar in an animated film with her,” Gad continued. “And the latter happened. And I couldn’t be any more grateful, because I have literally been this girl’s biggest fan forever.”
The admiration seemed to be mutual, as Menzel said Gad was “one of the most talented people I know.”
Gad even bent down on one knee to “propose” to Menzel, before quipping that he was doing it “as my wife watches. I don’t think that’s going to end well.”
The actor, who’s also known for starring in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, then talked about what fans can expect for the lovable snowman Olaf in the new movie. While 2013’s Frozen saw a naive Olaf, Gad said his character does a lot of growing up in the sequel.
“He’s starting to realize that there are dangers in the world,” Gad said. “And he’s starting to ask pivotal questions, like, ‘Why do things have to change?’ And there’s an emotional component to that journey that I found so profoundly cool to play.”
Frozen 2 hits theaters Nov. 22. The film also features Kristen Bell as Anna and Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, plus new stars, including Evan Rachel Wood as Anna and Elsa’s mother and Sterling K. Brown as Lieutenant Destin Mattias.
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