Josh Gad, who released his memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some on January 14, revealed that his Love & Other Drugs co-star Jake Gyllenhaal once cautioned him against pursuing a role in The Book of Mormon, the provocative musical-comedy by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
“While juggling episodes, I was also on set filming Love & Other Drugs, directed by Ed Zwick and starring Jake Gyllenhaal,” Gad recounted.
“One day, as Jake and I were driving home from set in Pittsburgh, I asked if I could play a demo of a new musical I’d recently workshopped in New York. I wanted his advice on whether I should pursue it further. He said, ‘Yeah, pop it on,’ so I played the opening number.”
At first, Gyllenhaal was thoroughly entertained. “He laughed his ass off at the musical’s squeaky-clean, tongue-in-cheek opening number, ‘Hello!’” Gad recalled. But the mood shifted as the music continued. “I skipped to another track, and his face slowly transformed from joyful enthusiasm to abject fear and terror,” Gad said.
Gyllenhaal eventually stopped the car, turning to Gad with concern. “Dude, you cannot do whatever this is. This will be way too controversial. Who the hell wrote this anyway?” he asked. Gad paused the music and replied, “The South Park guys.”
Despite Gyllenhaal’s misgivings, Gad chose to join the production, playing the role of Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon on Broadway for 15 months. His performance earned him a Tony nomination for Best Actor, cementing his place in Broadway history.