Michael Cera nearly quit acting amid Superbad success: 'I was having a bit of a crisis'
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Fame changed everything for Michael Cera — but not in the way you might think.
In 2007, Cera, already beloved for his role as George Michael Bluth on cult comedy Arrested Development, became a box office sensation with the back-to-back success of Juno and Superbad. While exciting, this surge of popularity sent the Barbie actor into full "crisis" mode.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Cera revealed that he considered quitting acting completely in the wake of those breakout roles.
"That was sort of overwhelming," said Cera, who was only 19 at the time of his sudden fame. "I didn't know how to handle walking down the street. Fame makes you very uncomfortable in your own skin, and makes you paranoid and weird. There were lots of great things about it, and I met a lot of amazing people, but there's a lot of bad energies, too, ones that I was not equipped to handle."
Columbia Pictures Michael Cera and Jonah Hill in 'Superbad'
Cera explained that bad energy came in many different forms, but his go-to example is "drunk people."
"If people are drunk, and they recognize you, and they're very enthusiastic, but it can be kind of toxic too," he said. "When you're a kid, people also feel they can kind of grab you — they're not that respectful of you or your physical space."
Cera added, "I didn't know how to respectfully establish my own boundaries."
He recalled heading to a bar with friends the same weekend that Superbad hit theaters and quickly realizing that he'd made a terrible mistake. The attention ruined his night. "It was like a burning feeling the whole time. Just like everybody was so aware of me."
Cera explained that all the attention led him to make "a little bit" of a conscious effort to step away from projects likely to boost his stardom.
"There was a point where I wanted to stop taking jobs that would make me more famous," Cera said. That meant turning down huge opportunities like a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. "I was kind of having a bit of a crisis. I was really not enjoying the level of heat."
He added, "I really didn't know if I was going to keep being an actor."
Big Talk Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock Michael Cera in 'Scott Pilgrim Vs The World'
The actor also touched on Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs The World, a film so beloved that the cast reunited for a 10-year-anniversary table read in 2020. They're also set to reprise their roles for an Netflix animated series based on the original comic.
"I was already committed to it, and went and did it, and obviously feel so grateful that that happened," Cera said of Scott Pilgrim. The role was followed by several passion projects for the actor — including a Broadway run of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth and a pair of films by Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva.
He explained, "I knew that it wasn't just like constantly fanning the flames to get bigger and bigger. I knew that wasn't really my goal. I think I wanted to be a working actor who can enjoy my day-to-day life, and the world that I've created for myself. I think that was the overall thing I was trying to figure out."
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