Disney Didn’t Hire This Celebrity to Work in Their Theme Park, He Became One of Their Biggest Stars

Rejection is no stranger to those who venture into the world of acting and is even something that some of the now most successful stars experienced early in their careers. One particular celebrity was once rejected from a role at a Disney theme park, but little did they know that he would eventually become one of Disney's biggest stars voicing a major character in Disney's top 2 highest-grossing animated movies and ultimately be named a Disney Legend.

Every two years at each D23 Expo, the Disney Legends Ceremony honors those who have made significant contributions to the Walt Disney Company. This year's 2024 inductees include iconic figures like James Cameron, Harison Ford, Joe Rohde, Angela Basset, and John Williams, amongst others. As Bob Iger (CEO of The Walt Disney Company) describes: “To be named a Disney Legend is the highest honor our company can bestow on anyone, reserved for those whose talent and achievement have earned them an enduring place in our history.”

This particular celebrity was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2022, and not only is he enjoying an incredibly successful career as one of Disney's biggest stars, but he also got to live out his dream of working in the role of the theme park position he was rejected from for a day! Keep reading for a fun look back at this day as well as his great Disney Legends Ceremony speech.

Disney Rejected This Celebrity From A Job at Its Theme Park

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You will immediately recognize the voice of Josh Gad from anywhere as he voices one of the best animated Disney characters of all time…Olaf! The accomplished actor delivered an amazing performance for the now fan-favorite snowman in 2013's Frozen and subsequently Frozen 2 in 2019, the two highest-grossing Disney animated movies of all time. Gad has also voiced the character of Olaf in other films like the 2015 short Frozen Fever and the 2017 film Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and he played the role of LeFeau in Disney's 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

Gad's delightful vocal performance was integral in elevating this lovable character to iconic status. Fans of all ages have fallen in love with the character's humor, huge heart, and sunny disposition. According to D23, Josh has even reached out to seriously ill children making phone calls in character as Olaf. “I don’t do brain surgery. I can’t cure cancer,” Gad said. “But, what I can do is make a person smile. That is the greatest gift I could ever possibly imagine having. That’s an honor.”

Gad was over the moon about being named a Disney Legend in 2022 and shared his speech from the ceremony on his Instagram with a caption that read, “A very important message to the head of Disney World casting who rejected me as a Jungle Cruise Skipper in 1999…” referencing his not-so-successful beginnings with Disney.

The speech is filled with some great humor and heartfelt moments and we absolutely recommend watching it. Towards the second half of the speech, Gad shares, “On a final note, the reason why I am here is like I said because once upon a time I saw a movie called Aladdin, and there was this little character named the Genie that inspired me to one day dare to dream of creating a character as memorable, funny, and beloved. I failed, but to now 30 years later share this incredible honor with my idol and late friend Robin Williams is a gift my ten-year-old self could never have imagined.”

See the speech below in a YouTube video shared by Sarah Scoop. Gad ends the speech in a “mic-drop” type of moment as he jokingly addresses the person at Disney Casting Headquarters in Florida who rejected him from the job at 18 and says to update his resume to “Disney Legend Josh Gad.”

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But it gets even better than this great moment! Gad actually got the opportunity to live out his dreams of being a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland for a day, and Disney Parks shared the highlights on their YouTube as you can see below. Gad donned a Jungle Cruise skipper outfit and took guests through the ride as he shared jokes along the way. This video is super cute and we highly recommend watching!

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