Josh Gad has explained why he wanted to make his directorial debut with a biopic about late comedian Chris Farley.

The Frozen actor is gearing up to direct Paul Walter Hauser in a biographical drama about the Saturday Night Live star, who struggled with obesity, alcoholism and substance abuse during his career.

During an interview with Collider, Gad explained why he chose the biopic to be his debut directorial feature.

“For me, it was really important. I’ve wanted to direct for a while, but I knew that I needed to do something that was very personal and a story about the struggle with weight, struggle with confidence, struggle with inner demons, and wanting to make people laugh even if sometimes it’s at your own expense,” he shared.

“Those things felt wholly familiar and recognisable, in part because I worshiped Chris Farley growing up. So, it’s sort of a full-circle project for me, and in a way, I see a lot of myself in it.”

In addition to SNL, Farley appeared in movies such as Airheads, Wayne’s World, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep and Beverly Hills Ninja before he died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33.

Gad explained to the outlet that he and the writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are currently mapping out a story that they hope will capture “the essence” of Farley’s legacy.

“It’s gonna track his journey through thick and thin, oftentimes thick and oftentimes thin, and it’s going to do so in a way that I hope makes people laugh and sometimes cry,” he continued. “We’re at the beginning of it, but I think it’s gonna be really special.”

The biopic, which has the blessing of Farley’s family, is based on The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, written by the comedian’s brother Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby.

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