After his success with “Juno” and “Superbad” he didn’t know how to deal with the celebrity at first.
After Michael Cera was seen in two very successful films with “Juno” and “Superbad” in 2007, the Canadian mime first had to get used to this new feeling of fame. In fact, the now 35-year-old found it so difficult to deal with the hype about himself that he even seriously considered changing jobs.
“Celebrity makes you feel uncomfortable in your own skin,” Cera admitted to The Guardian. And further: “It makes you paranoid and weird. […] I met a lot of wonderful people, but there was also a lot of bad energy that I couldn’t deal with.”
Michael Cera: “I didn’t know how to set any limits”
The actor already had a role in the American hit series “Arrested Development” before the two films that helped him achieve his international breakthrough. At the time, Cera was just 15 years old. The mime in particular now sees his young age as the reason why the sudden popularity made him feel so bad: “When you’re a child, many have the feeling that they can just touch you like that – they don’t have that much respect for you and your personal space. I didn’t know how to set my own boundaries in a respectful way.”
This brought Michael Cera to the point where he wasn’t sure if he could even continue working in the film world. He turned down such job opportunities as hosting “Saturday Night Live.” It wasn’t until he was allowed to play the eponymous protagonist in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) that his passion for acting reignited and finally convinced him to remain loyal to the film industry.
Now Cera can be seen as Ken’s boyfriend Allan in Greta Gerwig’s new movie Barbie.