TribLIVE: Actors Josh Gad and Leslie Odom Jr. worked together professionally for the first time in the new remake "Murder on the Orient Express," in theaters now.
But they first crossed paths two decades ago in the halls of the Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University. Both are 2003 graduates of CMU's School of Drama.
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I love seeing articles like this on the blog post. Seeing the amount of posts and the different grads working professionally in the industry is great motivation to see where we can go in the future. Seeing how this movie brings together two grads in one movie from the same graduating class is really cool to see as the connection between the two is something that I imagine is really strong and unique to the industry. Very seldomly do you see two actors or creators from the same school working together at that high of a level but I feel that the amazing community at CMU is able to make an exception for that idea as they are able to create a basis that is so rooted that we are able to bring all of our graduates up to that level.
I can't wait to see this movie! I am excited about this cast--mostly Judi Dench, but it is nice to see two alumni from CMU discussing working together and the importance of their shared educational background. Last year as first year grads, we all quickly realized that we would be working with a lot of the people we are in classes now with in the future, and we should not only work hard at our studies, but in forging relationships to those around us, whether they be designers, managers, or performers. We have the chance to spend 3/4 years with a community working on perfecting our craft-whatever it is, and this is a wonderful time to not only make friends, but to network and create professional relationships as well. While only 58% on rotten tomatoes, I am really looking forward to seeing this movie and seeing what such a power house cast brings to this mystery story.
It's incrediclous to know that the people at Carnegie Mellon still have a bond that bleeds into starring in movies together. It's even more remarkable to know that two stars that are at the forefront of their careers and are names to be recognized in the entertainment industry are both products of the same class at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. It kind of puts the entire school and our lives into perspective when we stop and think that the people around us can someday be our colleagues, clients, and bosses, it feels good to be apart of a community that cares for their own. Knowing all of this, I'm very excited to see this movie as soon as I have the chance, it's a cast that have all made leaps and strides throughout their careers and I feel obligated to see just what type of magic comes out of two CMU Drama alum together on screen.
I saw this movie last week with Megan Jones and Enma Reichard, and it was so fun to see CMU alumni with other CMU students. Nowadays, when I see pretty much any show, film, or TV show, there’s at least one person that attended CMU involved in some way. This was especially exciting, however, since this was such an enormously star-studded film, and Leslie Odom, Jr. and Josh Gad were among them as equals. Neither of them are particularly famous, other than being the guy from Hamilton and the voice of Olaf, respectively, so it was great to see them in such large roles in such a high profile film. Leslie Odom has also booked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show your, which is crazy in and of itself but also because he’s in the lineup with Harry Styles, who is a huge star. I wish both Leslie and Josh the best of success, and I can’t wait to see where both of their careers go from here.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this movie! I think this is a really amazing example of the connections we can make here, the people we meet and will work with. The fact that Josh Gad and Leslie Odom Jr. not only both went to Carnegie Mellon, but also were in the same graduating class means they’ve been working together for years and years, and I am sure this will translate on stage. I love seeing Carnegie Mellon Drama alums out in the entertainment industry; they are extremely inspiring and are giving me insight on what could lie ahead if I continue to push in this program. It would be really cool if the school could bring these two in to talk about their experiences working out in the field with other alums and crossing paths left and right.
This is a movie I truly look forward to seeing simply because of how much I enjoy Agatha Christie. Knowing that two Carnegie Mellon alumni are in the film made me even more excited. Seeing two alumni work together is a really promising thing, and hearing them discuss the connection that their shared education gave them was really interesting. That shared experience is a really incredible place to begin to work from, especially since this experience is based in the foundation of the career they’ve pursued. It is a rare thing two see two people from the same school working together, and I think that one of the reasons many of us chose Carnegie Mellon is because these things like this do seem to happen. The possibility that I may work with more alumni in the future is a very exciting thing.
It's honestly so crazy to me that Leslie Odom Jr. and Josh Gad were in the same class at CMU (a class that also contained Josh Groban and Rory O'Malley), and that they are still working together today. It reminds me even more that the reality is I will be working with some of the people I'm in classes with now for the rest of my career. Even just this summer that place that I worked had around 10 CMU alums across the departments working there. This just reinforces that to me that the work I do in school is very important to the lifetime connections I'll be making. In terms of this film, I had a chance to see Murder on the Orient Express a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. Specifically I loved the variety of characters on the train and the overall look of the costumes and sets. If you are like me and love Agatha Christie then I think you will really like this movie, or even if you just want to support our CMU alums go see it!
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