Josh Gad and Kevin Hart team up for ‘The Wedding Ringer’
Jimmy (Kevin Hart) with Doug (Josh Gad) in Screen Gems’ “The Wedding Ringer.”
January 15, 2015
By Madeleine Marr
MIAMI — Interesting factoid: The guy who voiced Olaf, the snowman who pines for summer in “Frozen,” grew up in the Sunshine State.
Josh Gad was born and raised in Hollywood, Fla., and wouldn’t mind a few shout-outs when he’s in town. The 33-year-old actor feels like he’s not gettin’ the love from his hometown.
“I’m not sure why. I’m here to tell you: I haven’t done anything wrong. Why is this city so disloyal?” jokes Gad at the Mandarin Oriental Miami Hotel to talk up his “bromedy” “The Wedding Ringer,” out Friday. “The 305 and 954 don’t get what they have until they lose it.”
His “Wedding Ringer” costar Kevin Hart chimes in: “You know, you’re right. Since we’ve been here, I haven’t seen one person say, ‘Hey, Josh! Welcome home!’ I want to see just one person.”
Gad, a married father of two, admits he didn’t take full advantage of his hometown back in the day. Especially the weather part.
After graduating from the University School of Nova Southeastern University in 1999, he went off to study drama at Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh.
“A tragic mistake,” he deadpans. “It was a lovely city but very cold.”
These days, Gad stays warm by living in Los Angeles and working steadily.
He soon followed up his star turn in the Disney smash hit with “The Wedding Ringer.” Gad plays Doug, a friendless groom-to-be who has no choice but to hire Hart to be his best man.
“This movie takes you on a rollercoaster ride,” says Hart, his face turning surprisingly serious. “You go up, then you come down. Once the audience starts laughing it doesn’t stop at all. In the end, it’s about friendship. You realize both guys have need of companionship. They can help each other out.”
Chemistry? This unlikely comedic duo have it. The interview at the Mandarin is punctuated with nonstop ribbing and insults. They’re both pretty quick on the draw, and you can see why the director let all the improvised banter stay in the final cut.
“Oh, there was a lot,” explains Gad. “Kevin doesn’t how to stop talking. It’s actually a genetic disorder. So when the cameras roll, it’s not so much improv as much as it is verbal diarrhea. He just starts, ‘blah blah blah blah blah blah.’ Once they call cut, he’s still talking!”
“Maybe I should search out my words like you do,” Hart volleys back, mocking Gad’s manner of speaking. Think Olaf with a little more attitude. “Blah, blah, blah, blah.”
The two guys are especially proud of one scene that only lasted about 10 minutes but took an entire day to shoot. Gad, Hart and a few freaky groomsmen link up for a game of touch football that gets out of hand. Their opponents include Hall of Famers Joe Namath and Ed “Too Tall” Jones in unforgettable cameos.
Once again, Gad found himself in a chilly atmosphere.
“(The crew) brought in mud and then for the first time in like 24 months it rained that day in Los Angeles,” he explains. “And it was freezing rain, it wasn’t just rain. So we’re on wet mud in wet water, and the mud’s getting wetter.”
“Oh, it was cold!” adds Hart.
Finally, something these two can agree on.
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