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Josh Gad on FX Series "The Comedians" with Billy Crystal

Josh Gad on FX Series "The Comedians" with Billy Crystal

7:34·By Gemma G
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YH is kicking back at SXSW in Austin, Texas, with one of our favorite people, actor Josh Gad, who tells us all about his FX mockumentary series "The Comedians", in which he co-stars with the legendary Billy Crystal! Josh explains the premise of the series and reveals what scenarios depicted in the show have happened to him in real-life, plus he gives us some inside scoop on Pixar headquarters and a certain much-anticipated sequel!

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Young Hollywood

Wasn't it amazing? Amazing! Unbelievable.

Young Hollywood

Wait, you and Billy do this in the show too. This and we finish each other's sentence words. Words. Huh?

Young Hollywood

I'm here with Josh Gad. I feel like every time I see you, we end up breaking into song.

Josh Gad

We do end up breaking into song and that feels right. Especially out in Mother Nature where we are today. This is a beautiful set. I've never seen such a photo realistic set in my entire life.

Young Hollywood

We built this just for you. We're proud of that.

Josh Gad

Young Hollywood has just gone above. It's gotten, yeah, extravagantly high. It has. It's the happiest place on Earth.

Young Hollywood

Wait, how cold are my hands?

Josh Gad

Yes, you feel like you just climbed the Arctic shelf. Like you were going to explore to see the consequences of global warming and you did an expedition and you were there way too long. That's what it feels like to me. Now it's, but you have nice warm, they're nice and toasty more for people out there that want to know. We're, by the way, just just to establish this. We're in Texas.

Young Hollywood

It's literally like touching a snake. I don't know what's going on with you right now. First of all, I want to tell you something, you are one of my top five favorite people. I love you.

Josh Gad

Thank you.

Young Hollywood

You might even be in the top three. This is incredible.

Josh Gad

May I ask who's on this bracket with me? So that I can know if this is a compliment or not.

Young Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel.

Josh Gad

Okay, love Jimmy.

Young Hollywood

Dave Franco.

Josh Gad

Okay, don't know Dave but really like his work. So I'd say So that's a good list. That's a really good list. Good list. Again, don't know him, but he seems like the kind of Scott I would like to hang out with.

Josh Gad

Hang on one second. There's a bird asking me a question. Yes. Okay, we're good.

Young Hollywood

And this is why you are the great voice actor that you are. So let's talk about The Comedians on FX with Billy Crystal. This show is so unbelievably funny. I can't even begin to tell you. All the little clips that have been released to the public have just been hysterical.

Josh Gad

I grew up revering him. I remember watching the early SNL's with he and Martin Short and just being like that guy is doing everything I want to do. Comic Relief, the Oscars. Honest to God, When Harry Met Sally is a perfect romantic comedy. It's perfect. Perfect.

Young Hollywood

I just had an idea though. You should host the Oscars.

Josh Gad

Why would I want to do that?

Young Hollywood

This is behind the scenes sort of mockumentary, playing yourselves but an elevated version of yourself.

Josh Gad

Yes, it's an absolutely meta comedy in the vein of Curb Your Enthusiasm by way of Louie meets Larry Sanders.

Josh Gad

I hate when we have to shoot promos. No. They never write anything that's that's classy and and and sophisticated as the show is. It's true. You just can't capture what we're doing in a 15 to 30 second promo. It's just it's lowest common denominator stuff. I know. Billy and I are playing Josh Gad and Billy Crystal and the two of us get paired up to do this variety show on FX together. And it's about the nature of this generational gap that exists between two comedians from two completely different eras being forced to work together. And it explores ego and id and super ego and it's really about these two guys and their journey into this collaboration despite the fact that they really don't understand each other.

Young Hollywood

And some of the, you know, clips I've seen. Right. You're in certain scenarios and I want to know how close to Josh, have you ever actually Okay. had the scenario, been in a bitch slap fight?

Josh Gad

Yes. Yes. Do you want to have one? Yes. But you will kick the hell out of me. Okay. Stop it. Stop it. My hair's getting messed up. By the way, that that happens to me once a day with my daughter. She literally and she always beats me.

Young Hollywood

Chewing with your mouth open and talking?

Josh Gad

No, that I don't do. My mom would beat the hell out of me if I did that. Oh man. I used to chew with my mouth open and my mom would literally like throw silverware at me. She taught me how. She taught me early on, not okay.

Young Hollywood

I feel you're careers doing just fine. Josh, you're working a co

Josh Gad

It's one of those things where sometimes, you know, you get direction and you're like, no, I don't want to do that. Yeah, I put this here 'cause I thought it made it look more awesome.

Young Hollywood

Her producers warned her, they're like, we want it on your head. They were not happy. We spent half of our budget on that hat. And for you not to wear it is not only an insult, but it's a degradation of what we've done as your producers.

Josh Gad

Okay, openly wept on Billy Crystal's shoulder while wearing a balls cap. That that would be all fake Josh. That would never happen in real life. No, no, no, no, no. There are other people I would openly weep on, but never Billy. I've openly wept before uh in Pixar movies, like up. Literally I was in a theater filled with children and I was

Young Hollywood

I would love to be in a theater with you watching a comedy. I got a good laugh.

Josh Gad

They like like to put me in like when they're doing like, you know, premiers and stuff. I get invited to a lot of comedies just so that I can I can set the tone. I'm uh yeah, I'm a I'm a ringer for the studios.

Young Hollywood

Speaking of Pixar, I saw one of your tweets, you were just, you just went to Pixar and you said you learned all their their secrets.

Josh Gad

Yeah, Yeah.

Young Hollywood

Give me one.

Josh Gad

Each animator's room essentially is like a themed Wonderland. These rooms in there that are themed to like, one is a a plane that's landed in a jungle in the middle of like what? I mean it's like crazy stuff.

Young Hollywood

So it's better than our set?

Josh Gad

It's not It's not as detailed as your set, but it's it's pretty close. It's as close as you can get without the budget that Young Hollywood has. I mean Young Hollywood Pixar around you know, they're around. They're around the same. Yeah, they're operating at the same level. You guys, I think grossed the same amount as Toy Story 3 from what I read in the trades.

Young Hollywood

So one secret you can reveal that you learned about the magic of of Pixar?

Josh Gad

I can tell you that I saw a little bit of a certain sequel with a certain fish and it looks a certain sort of incredible. Which happens to be my daughter's favorite movie. So she was like crying and angry that I kind of they let me

Young Hollywood

That's Cinderella, loved it. Wasn't it amazing? Amazing! Unbelievable.

Young Hollywood

Wait, you and Billy do this in the show too. This and we finish each other's sentence words. Huh?

Young Hollywood

This has been such a pleasure.

Josh Gad

No, no, no. The pleasure's been mine. Young Hollywood is just making a killing.

Young Hollywood

I think you warmed my hand. Is it warm? You warmed my heart.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Josh Gad

    Interview subject, discussing his show and career

  • Billy Crystal

    Co-star with Josh Gad in "The Comedians"

  • Jimmy Kimmel

    Mentioned by Josh Gad as one of his top 5 favorite people

  • Dave Franco

    Mentioned by Josh Gad as one of his top 5 favorite people

  • Martin Short

    Mentioned by Josh Gad as an early SNL performer with Billy Crystal

FAQ

What is "The Comedians" about?+
"The Comedians" is a meta comedy mockumentary series on FX where Josh Gad and Billy Crystal play elevated versions of themselves, exploring the generational gap and collaboration between two comedians from different eras.
Who co-stars with Josh Gad in "The Comedians"?+
Josh Gad co-stars with legendary comedian Billy Crystal in the FX series "The Comedians."
What kind of scenarios from "The Comedians" have happened to Josh Gad in real life?+
Josh Gad mentions scenarios like playful arguments, specifically being in a "bitch slap fight," as something that has happened to him in real life, especially with his daughter.
What did Josh Gad reveal about Pixar?+
Josh Gad revealed that each animator's room at Pixar is like a themed Wonderland, with intricate decorations like a plane landed in a jungle, and he also teased seeing a bit of an upcoming Pixar sequel involving a certain fish.
Where was the interview with Josh Gad conducted?+
The interview with Josh Gad was conducted by Young Hollywood at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

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