The Book of Mormon's Josh Gad On His New MTV Series Good Vibes, Swapping Baby Stories with Pink and Picking Will Ferrell's Brain

The Book of Mormon's Tony-nominated star Josh Gad is hitting the beach as the star of MTV’s new surfer-themed animated comedy Good Vibes, which premieres on October 27. “I’m really excited about the potential of the series,” Gad told Broadway.com. “It gets funnier and funnier with each episode.”

In the series, which also features the vocal talents of Adam Brody, Olivia Thirlby, Tony Hale and Danny McBride, Gad voices the main character Mondo, a chubby New Jersey teenager who finds himself incredibly out of place when his single mother (voiced by Debi Mazar) decides to relocate the family to the sunny surf culture of Playa del Toro, California. “I’m obviously very attracted to the lovable losers,” the actor said of the similarities between Mondo and his Book of Mormon character, Elder Cunningham. “They’re the most fun characters to play because they have the most to gain and lose.”

So does Gad have any surfing experience of his own? “I would call it an incident,” he said with a laugh. “I was studying abroad in Australia my senior year of college and went to the beach with a really good surfer. I was a little leaner at the time, so I figured, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ It didn’t end well. I came less than five inches away from cracking my head open on a rock. I decided maybe I’ll just stick to walking on land.”

Good Vibes isn’t the only high profile extracurricular gig for Gad: He’s currently shooting the sex-addiction comedy Thanks For Sharing opposite Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins and Pink. “We’re having the time of our lives,” he said of the project. “[My character] definitely has issues to work through and, very much like Cunningham, he’s a liar who tends to exaggerate a lot of things. There are some really nice, tender moments when he has to come to terms with that. It’s nice to have that dramatic undertone with all the comedy."

Gad, who is the father of 10-month-old daughter Ava, is filming most of his scenes opposite Pink and is spending time swapping baby stories with the pop singer, who gave birth to her first child in June. “Her daughter is a little younger than mine, so I’m the wise sage who can say ‘It’s OK, the sleep will come, I promise you. It gets better.'” Despite his busy schedule, Gad makes sure to spend plenty of time with his family. “She’s so funny right now,” he said of Ava. “She’s entering the toddler phase, so she’s developing her own personality and letting us know what she likes and doesn’t like without the use of words. She’s like an angry mute, but she’s a remarkable little kid and we’re so lucky.”

On top of all that, Gad is at work penning a TV pilot for NBC for Will Ferrell's production company. Though he wouldn’t reveal specific plot details, he offered a provocative hint: “It’s an homage to one of my favorite films from the ‘80s. I had the opportunity to sit down with Will and pick his brain, and it was one of the greatest moments of my life.” Asked if he envisions starring in the show, Gad said, “I’m open to anything—and right now I’m just excited about continuing with The Book of Mormon. It’s been an amazing ride this year and it continues to get crazier and crazier.”

The first full episode of Good Vibes is already available online. Check out Gad’s new show below!