Josh Gad and I have been friends since the time he auditioned for Modern Family. I directed the pilot for that, and that's how we met. Josh Gad More Quotes by Josh Gad More Quotes From Josh Gad I think “The Book of Mormon” has made that difference in its field. It changed the game. It’s something that 20 years from now people will still be talking about, hopefully. That’s my goal as an artist, as a creator, as a work for hire, is to choose projects that make people think, make people talk, and make people interested in having a dialogue. Josh Gad artist book thinking In real life, Josh [Gad] is a different kind of lovable idiot. In real life, he's a much filthier idiot. He has a dirty sense of humor. Josh Gad different real dirty The actual truth about Gad is it's one of the original 13 tribes of Israel, so you can actually trace my lineage back to, like, those guys who had, like, a hand in the Bible and have since become very famous from that. So I come from very famous lineage. Granted, they didn't have cameras back then, so none of them had TV shows. Josh Gad tv-shows israel hands When you get into the series, the progression is much different. You actually have breathing room and the chance to sit down with each actor, which was a part of our process, to talk to them about their pasts. Josh Gad breathing past rooms Religion is interesting because it brings out the best and the worst in humanity. It can be a source of good deeds, whether it's people from different spiritual backgrounds coming together to help other people in need after a crisis. But it's also a cause for war and bloodshed. Josh Gad helping-others spiritual war I grew up on 'Lawrence' and 'Zhivago'. A legacy with not one but multiple timeless classics. Josh Gad timeless legacy grew-up When you're doing a pilot, you're doing it in this bubble that almost works against the creative impulse. You don't have time to get to know the actors first, and you have three writers, as opposed to a room full of writers. Josh Gad three actors creative There are certain TV shows that probably would have made me rich, and there are certain commitments I could have made that probably would have raised a lot of eyebrows that I didn't. But I don't look back at those decisions and say, 'Oh God, I'm such an idiot. Josh Gad tv-shows eyebrows commitment When you have a kid, it changes your life. It reminds you, this is my life now: I'm responsible for this tiny person. It's so surreal. Josh Gad changing-your-life tiny kids When you're doing a show like 'The Book of Mormon,' you're completely spent by the time the show is over. Josh Gad shows book Acting comes natural to me. What I do enjoy is meeting people that I've idolized for years. I mean, I was talking about bringing up a child with Edie Falco yesterday. Josh Gad talking mean children Coming off of 'Book of Mormon,' I had a lot of opportunities. I didn't want to do TV, actually. I really wanted to get paid nothing and keep doing theater at all costs. Josh Gad cost opportunity book I really love the traditional aspects of Judaism. My wife is born and raised a Catholic and I enjoy celebrating those rituals as well. I am very spiritual but not in any way religious, no. Josh Gad wife religious spiritual I was trained as a straight dramatist. Josh Gad I was a product of a divorced family and I used humor as a weapon to combat sadness. I used comedy to make my mother laugh in light of the darkness that she faced, and to me it became a very powerful tool at a very young age, at six. I saw how therapeutic it could be. Josh Gad sadness powerful mother I was like a Borscht Belt comedian trapped in the body of a 6-year-old. I was channeling Jackie Mason at 7. Josh Gad comedian body years It's funny because The Book of Mormon is The Book of Mormon now. When I was doing it at the very beginning, and I was a part of it for four years and always believed in it, I never really knew if it was going to be more than a convention for South Park fans. Josh Gad fans book years Melissa McCarthy just opened this new movie, “Identity Thief,” and Rex Reed, who’s a known critic, wrote a scathing commentary on her weight. I think that weight designation is one of the last frontiers of bullying. I don’t know what the right “ism” for it is, but I think that there’s a level of that that’s happening that’s certainly not okay. Josh Gad bullying identity thinking My idol growing up was Charlie Chaplin. I was obsessed with him. I mean, while other kids were watching Jim Carrey and the likes in the '90s, I was watching Charlie Chaplin films, because I was a bit of a geek. I became obsessed with this idea of physical comedy. Josh Gad growing-up mean kids It's weird to say, but every time I look at my daughter and I see this little living breathing thing that came from me, that represents all of the hopes and dreams that I would want for her, I see a miracle. Josh Gad daughter mother dream