Seth Rogen Reveals the Audition Tape That Would ‘End’ His Career
As Hollywood careers go, Seth Rogen has lived a pretty charmed—and scandal-free—life. And he hopes to keep it that way.
But Rogen, who is currently riding high on the success of The Studio, the Apple TV+ cringe comedy he co-created and stars in that skewers Hollywood stereotypes, knows that there is some grainy old footage still possibly floating around out in the world somewhere that could spell an end to his own career.
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While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, Kimmel asked Rogen—who broke out with his very first acting role in Freaks and Geeks back in 1999—about the last time he actually had to audition for a role. The Superbad creator admitted that it had been a while, then shuddered to remember the last time he was forced to do it.
“Thank god it was mostly physical VHS tapes and stuff like that that were being used when I was auditioning for things,” said Rogen. “Because the things I auditioned for, in retrospect, if they were out there in the world would end my career very, very fast I believe.”
When pressed by Kimmel to share an example, Rogen recalled his audition for Gigli, Martin Brest’s infamous 2003 crime/rom-com that starred Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez back when they were their first iteration of Bennifer.
“In Gigli, [Affleck and Lopez] are assassins who are sent to watch over a boy who—and this was not the words they used at the time—had a cognitive disability, let’s say,” Rogen continued while Kimmel, clearly guessing where the story was going, struggled to compose himself.
“So I, as an aspiring young actor… I auditioned for this boy with a cognitive disability,” Rogen shared. “And I don’t think the script was written in what, by today’s standards, would be the most sensitive portrayal of a boy with a cognitive disability. And I also, as a young actor, you know, I didn’t get a lot of auditions. The movie was directed by Martin Brest, who did Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run. Great director. So I wanted to leave an impression.”
At this point, Rogen himself was nearly speechless in recalling the details of what was clearly the mortifying kind of memory that would fit right in with the comedy of The Studio.
“I don’t think I wore a helmet into the audition itself,” he said, “but it was that play. And I’m tempted to do an impression of what I did, but I can’t even do it. That’s how bad it was. It’s so bad, I dare not even portray what I did in this audition—’cause I went for it! I saw myself at the Oscars. I was like, ‘This is the clip.’”
“Truthfully,” Rogen admitted, “if that tape were out in the world today, this would be the last interview you ever saw me do—other than my apology tour.”
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Finally, Rogen addressed the camera and anyone who might be listening with an earnest plea: “Please, if you have it: Burn it. Please!”
The role in question, a young man named Brian, was ultimately played by Justin Bartha, in his first credited feature film role. Bartha would go on to star in National Treasure and The Hangover movies.