Josh Gadis opening up about a touching moment in his little girl’s life that would go on to inspire the journey of his character Olaf inFrozen 2.
Earlier this month, the 38-year-old actor posted a throwback video of his older daughterAva Tanya, now 9, crying when she fully realized she wouldn’t be a child forever.
“But why will I not never be a kid anymore?” Ava asks sweetly, through her tears, to which her nanny Sara responds encouragingly while rubbing her hand, “You’re gonna be a kid for so long! You gotlots and lots of time to be a kid. Lots and lots of time. You’re only 5!”
Ava, still sobbing, asks again, “But why will I never ever be a kid anymore when I’m a grown-up?”
“Well, because we grow up,” Sara tells her. “We’re not Peter Pan —only Peter Pan stays a kid foreverand ever and ever. … So we have to become grown-ups, okay?”
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Josh Gad and family.Josh Gad/Instagram
Over the sounds of her younger sisterIsabella Eve, who turns 6 next month, yelling about wanting to watchPeter Pan, Ava asks, “And you miss being a kid, too?”
“I sometimes miss being a kid, but I really like being a grown-up because I get to drive you to piano, like we did today. I get to play with you and Izzy. I get to go to the park.”
Gad gave a little backgroundon the video in his caption, writing, “Four years ago, during dinner one night our beautiful little girl had a huge epiphany that shook her to her core … we all have to grow up. This heartbreaking moment is something I never shared publicly before because it was so personal.”
“Our nanny at the time, Sara, did such a remarkable job helping guide her through this difficult ‘coming of age’ moment and I constantly look back at it as a reminder of the fragility of youthand our struggle to make sense ofour place in this rapid world,” he continued.
TheAvenue 5actor went on to recall that he shared the clip with “our brilliantFrozen 2team at the time and said, I believe this should be Olaf’s journey inFrozen 2.”
In the movie,the snowman Gad helped make famouswith his exuberant voice portrayal grapples with unavoidable change and the idea of growing up. His hilarious solo song, “When I Am Older,” even addresses this topic.
“I’m beyond grateful they felt the same way because growing up is so very hard and all of us have this moment at some point in our lives,” Gad continued. “I’m also beyond thankful that we were able to capture such a monumental moment and that I can share it nowwith all of you who either have childrenor were once children asking that very same question …’why do I have to be a grownup?’ Hope you take from it as much as I have.”
“As a side note, that is the voice of my other child in the [background] missing the plot completely and focusing instead on watching a DVD of ‘Peter Pan,’ ” joked the father of two.
Josh Gad (L);Frozen‘s Olaf.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Disney
“Every time I see it, I start crying,” said the formerBook of Mormonstar of the footage. “It’s one of those moments that I think we all have as a kid, where we’re, ‘Oh, we won’t be young forever.’ ”
The actor also revealed that he told theFrozen 2story team, ” ‘I would love Olaf to sortof have this existential journey, where he’s starting to grow, he’s starting to mature and he’s starting to ask those questions of, “Why can’t things always stay the same? Why do they have to change?” ‘ ”
“And that’sjust nannying at its bestright there,” he praised. “Our old nanny, Sara, just did an amazing job of communicating those thoughts with her.”
source: people.com
