Josh Gad Issues Hilarious Required Reading List for 'Spaceballs 2'
As a dad, on every single family road trip, Josh Gad morphs into Chevy Chase from National Lampoon's Vacation. The funny actor, famous as the voice of Olaf from Frozen, admits to Men's Journal that "I often refer to myself as Clark Griswold, because I’m the dad that wants to squeeze in as much as possible on our road trips."
But sometimes, dads just need their kids to chill out in the backseat. And so, Gad's current solution is to load up his kids with eBooks and audiobooks. His latest collaboration is with their Backseat Book Crew initiative. "I don't even need to tell them to read anymore. It's a device we can get behind." For dads worried about giving their kid a tablet, Gad's belief is that this is screen time you can get behind.
"I loved the idea of providing kids with an enticing way to encourage reading while they're out of school," Gad explains. "Kindle Kids makes it SO easy. This was the easiest 'yes' I’ve given to working with a brand."
Related: Josh Gad Got One Surprising Request From Mel Brooks for 'Spaceballs 2'
Speaking of reading, Men's Journal also talked to Gad about his much buzzed-about next project, Spaceballs 2, which he is co-writing with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. Is there a bookish connection to the new movie? Should we be reading anything to get ready for Spaceballs 2?
"Obviously!" Gad says with a laugh. "One must first read the works of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, and Carl Sagan before tackling the serious themes of a Spaceballs film."
He's clearly joking, and yet, A yet Asimov's Foundation novels basically describe the set-up for the first Spaceballs, while Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 was referenced heavily in Mel Brooks' first Spaceballs back in 1987. So, while Gad is kidding about Spaceballs 2 reading list, maybe he's not kidding.
Gad is tight-lipped about what the new movie will be like, but when asked his favorite joke from the first film, he doesn't disappoint.
"That’s like picking a favorite child," Gad says."So, I’ll cheat and give you my top five."
Josh Gad's Top 5 Best Jokes in Spaceballs (1987)
- “We ain’t found shit!”
- “I’m surrounded by Assholes.”
- “I’m a Mawg. Half man. Half Dog. I’m my own best friend.”
- “I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.”
- The entire “then is now” sequence.