Frozen actor Josh Gad paid tribute to the late Robin Williams in a touching guest column that ran in today’s USA Today.



Frozen‘s Olaf may be one of Disney’s newest beloved characters, but before kids fell in love with a talking snowman who likes warm hugs, they were falling in love with a big blue genie, brought to life in Aladdin by the late Robin Williams, who was just as goofy as he was magical.

Actor Josh Gad, who lends his voice to Olaf in Frozen, spoke candidly about Williams in a new guest column that ran in Tuesday’s USA Today, aptly titled “Olaf remembers his friend and idol, the Genie.”

Article Continues Below

“Every actor has that idol that inspires them. That makes them want to bring joy and laughter to the masses; to make peole cry and think; to give people a two-hour escape from the pain of their daily lives. For me, that actor was Robin Williams,” writes Gad as an introduction to his guest column.

Like many, Gad recalls growing up on Robin Williams films as a child, but while Gad writes that he remembers impersonating Popeye and being wonderstruck by the events of Hook, for him, William’s most pivotal role was that of the Genie in Aladdin.

“I remember sitting in a dark theater in South Florida in the winter of 1992 and watching a Genie come to life in Aladdin and tear a hole in the very fabric of space and time for me,” writes Gad. “It was the moment that I realized… ‘That’s what I want to do with my life.'”

Later, Gad recalls performing in The Book of Mormon on Broadway and seeing what he refers to as “a bearded hero” smiling up at him from the crowd who turned out to be none other than Robin Williams himself.

“I gave what was probably the best performance I had ever given on stage. I felt intoxicated with the knowledge that I was entertaining a man who had raised me on his comedic specials, his movies and his TV series. It would be like Luke Skywalker bringing the Empire down as Obi-Wan sits atop the Death Star and simply smiles,” says Gad who also recalls that that was the night their friendship began.

Finally, Gad talks of his performance in Frozen and how Williams helped shape it:

“As many know, my performance as Olaf in Frozen is inspired by the great Robin Williams. When I first met with the film’s directors, I told them I wanted to create a character as free and as wonderfully surprising at every turn as the greatest Disney sidekick I had ever known: the Genie. Olaf will never remotely touch the tour de force that is Robin’s Genie. Because there is only one Robin Williams. But the joy and laughter that my little snowman has brought to children is because of the man who has left his world far too early. A man who taught me to be free, to be childlike, and a man who taught me to get out of my own way as a performer. His gift was to take all of our pain away and allow us to escape. If only we could have returned the favor.”

Read Josh Gad’s full column over at USA Today.

Have a favorite Robin Williams role? Share it with us in the comments below!