Seth Rogen Credits Steven Spielberg For Indirectly Launching His Acting Career
Before he was a household name, Seth Rogen was really determined to become one. Back when his only notable role was as Ken Miller in the cult hit "Freaks and Geeks," the up-and-coming actor had big ambitions to take over Hollywood — if only so that, as he told Vanity Fair in 2012, he could "get girls to sleep with [him]". In fact, before he gained major fame for his role in early 2000s Judd Apatow comedies, Rogen said he was "incredibly angry and repressed," despite his reputation as a down-to-earth, slightly sarcastic nice guy.
Clearly the young Canadian had something to prove, and Apatow had taken notice. The soon-to-be king of blockbuster comedy was planning his takeover of the genre and was going to bring Rogen along for the ride if it killed him. As "Freaks" writer J. Elvis Weinstein put it, Apatow was seemingly on "a mission to make this kid a star."
After small parts in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and Apatow's 2005 hit "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Rogen would find real stardom by playing the lead in the producer/director's next comedy effort: "Knocked Up." At the time, that chip on his shoulder still seemed to be driving him, as the actor read with hundreds of women during the casting process to try to hone his own performance. Once "Knocked Up" had proven a hit, Rogen's career had been officially launched, with the actor telling the Telegraph in 2009: "Obviously, I can't stress how important Judd's been to my career." But, as it turns out, there's another Hollywood giant that Rogen indirectly credits with helping him get where he is today.
Not just an angry funny guy
Once he had established himself with "Knocked Up," Seth Rogen went on to have an impressively diverse career, starring in his own comedy projects such as "The Interview" and taking on dramatic roles such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in "Steve Jobs." Most recently, he was tapped by none other than Steven Spielberg to play the avuncular Bennie in the director's semi-autobiographical drama "The Fabelmans".
Rogen's prep for Spielberg's movie was a lot different from the unflinching dedication he showed when he was trying to break into Hollywood. Far from reading with a hundred different actors, he told Uproxx that he "just hung out for a few months as they put the rest of the movie together" and "would read the script a lot and [...] talk to [Spielberg] every once in a while." Either way, he turned in a solid performance in the film, which once again showcased not just Rogen's dramatic capabilities but Spielberg's more reflective, introspective side.
And it seems Rogen was thrilled to do the movie not just because he was working with a legendary director, but because he actually sort of credits Spielberg with launching his own career. As he told Entertainment Tonight:
"In some ways, my career is entirely because of Steven Spielberg, because DreamWorks produced 'Freaks and Geeks,' which was the first thing I ever did. Yeah, if it wasn't for him, I'd be working in a video game store in Vancouver right now."
DreamWorks is, of course, the distribution label of Spielberg's Amblin production company — which, naturally, produced "The Fabelmans." In that sense, Rogen and Spielberg have shared an unlikely link that can be traced from the director's 2022 drama back to the beginning of Rogen's career.
Full-circle
Seth Rogen's career hasn't been one long success story since breaking out with "Knocked Up." While his comedy outings have been fairly consistent, there has been the odd — and by odd I mean really weird — misstep. The less said about that pickle movie he made, the better.
But what's most impressive about his filmography is that Rogen has consistently shown a talent for delivering affecting, heartfelt performances alongside his more farcical comedic turns. Ever since 2011's dramedy "50/50," which he also produced, the guy has proven repeatedly that he keep that same lovable dopiness that made him a star while being equally capable of toning down the funny and showcasing a more vulnerable side.
That was certainly the case with his role in "The Fabelmans," which sees Rogen come full circle, from the "angry, repressed" teen in "Freaks and Geeks" to the fulfilled and accomplished actor being tapped by directors like Steven Spielberg for major dramatic roles. Just as Spielberg's transformed from a kid wanting to make blockbusters to a blockbuster director making movies about being a kid, Rogen has gone from an angry serious dude playing an affable chill guy to an affable chill guy playing serious roles.