Michael Cera looked back at “Superbad,” the film that launched him to comedy stardom, in a new interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
For the publication’s June-August issue, which features Australian DJ and producer Dom Dolla on the cover, Cera revealed what initially attracted him to Judd Apatow’s comedy classic. “Superbad” would end up launching the film careers of Cera and his co-stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, as well as putting co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg on the Hollywood map.
“When it came to auditioning for Superbad, I just wanted to do it more than anything,” the Canadian actor said. “It sort of comes down to being the right age at the right time and, like, a constellation of miracles and good fortune.
“It was an enormous opportunity for me, that size role in that size of a production with Judd [Apatow] and Seth [Rogen] who were carving this niche for themselves and doing really good work, and I was also very excited about Jonah [Hill].
“I didn’t really have a sense of the release or anything like that because we never really have had much of a sense about the business of the movie coming out and what that means when we’re making it.”
Cera revealed that he still gets people yelling out “McLovin” at him to this day, despite that iconic “Superbad” character being portrayed by Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Elsewhere in the interview, Cera praised the impact “Arrested Development” had on his early career, calling it “a great opportunity… to do that kind of writing.” (Cera famously played the anxious and well-meaning George Michael Bluth in the beloved sitcom.)
“[…] that put in me a great appreciation of writing and a sense of how important that is, especially if you’re trying to do something funny,” he added.
Cera currently stars as Bjorn Lund in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” with Rolling Stone praising his “nebbishy academic” character for “adding to the screwball vibe” of the black comedy.
“You leave impressed that Anderson can still manage to do what his does best without succumbing to self-parody here. The blueprint may be familiar. But it’s still a pretty foolproof plan,” the review added.
In other Cera news, the actor has assembled an impressive cast for his directorial feature debut.
Cera is set to direct “Love is Not the Answer,” with Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”), Steve Coogan (“Philomena”), Fred Hechinger (“Gladiator 2”) and Jamie Dornan (“Belfast”) lined up to star.
The plot of the film is being kept under wraps, but it’s described as a “precise yet unpredictable, absurdist comedy that moves between hilarity and heartbreak as it explores modern loneliness and the search for connection.”
“The Phoenician Scheme” is in Australian cinemas now.