Between a global pandemic, mass unemployment across the U.S., and protests rooted in an urgent cry for racial and social justice, the world is currently hurting and in need of more love and compassion. That’s where award-winning actor Josh Gad steps in, using his star power for good by creating a bright spot for those seeking a little bit of comfort through the nostalgia of better times. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Gad is sharing details behind his new YouTube series, Reunited Apart, which reunites all living cast members of some of our favorite ’80s classics, like The Goonies and Back to the Future, and what he aims to attain with the online show.
“A lot is going on in the world right now — a lot of uncertainty, a lot of darkness — and just trying to do my damnedest to bring a little bit of joy and hope to cut through some of that,” Gad told PopCulture. “My kids and I have been really, really, really going on a deep dive for a lot of movies that I grew up with, and in part that is what helped inspire me to get started on Reunited Apart because I saw the joy that it was giving my kids to see these movies for the first time and was frankly reminded of the joy that these movies have brought me in some cases for 30 years plus.”
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Gad went on to share how he felt “useless” at the beginning of the nationwide lockdown this past March, prompted by the coronavirus. Admitting he wanted to pitch in and help bring a sense of joy to the masses amid daunting times, the dad-of-two reveals it was when he began reading to kids for Save the Children’s Save With Stories that he felt a sense of “purpose” among like-minded individuals doing the same thing. Except, it had to be different and in pure Gad-style.
“What can I do though, more importantly, to raise resources and money for those who are in such desperate need of it?” he said. “So I started Reunited Apart because I knew that if I just got on Twitter and I said, ‘Hey guys, donate to this great cause,’ it was going to have far less of an effect than if I could provide something to people if I can provide a service to people that made them actually so joyful that they wanted to click a donate button.”
After raising “$20,000 here and $30,000 there,” Gad wanted to do more and teamed up with Cheerios as they were donating $1.3 million to the No Kid Hungry program — a national campaign focused on ending childhood hunger in America. The brand’s campaign sent him over the moon with joy in being a part of something so life-changing. He made the announcement before his Lord of the Rings episode and succinctly addressed how he’s trying to make a positive difference while encouraging fans to donate to Nokidhungry.org/cheerios — even as little as 50 cents because while that may seem small, it can make a huge difference.
Aside from dishing details on Reunited Apart, now streaming on YouTube, Gad also discussed whether there would be a Frozen 3 after massive success from its first two films, but don’t hold out on hope just yet. “I don’t know,” Gad said, after saying how awesome it would be to make an official announcement. “Here’s the deal. Frozen II wasn’t Frozen II until there was a reason to exist, and similarly, I don’t know if and when there will be a Frozen III.”
