GETTING SERIOUS
Vancouver’s Seth Rogen goes dramatic as Woz in Steve Jobs.
Some will always remember Seth Rogen as the comic actor with the guttural laugh from 2007’s Knocked Up. The Vancouver native went on to reimagine that ribald everyguy in a series of raunchy comedies, including a variation on the theme as the harried family man in last year’s Neighbors.
But earthiness and off-colour deliberations are missing from Rogen’s latest portrayal, as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in the movie profile of Steve Jobs (played by Michael Fassbender).
In place of crudeness, there is dedicated emoting from the 33-year-old — even if he had his doubts initially.
“When I was invited to audition, my first instinct was that it was probably something they wouldn’t want me in and I was very cautious of pursuing it,” says Rogen, taking a break from filming Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising in Atlanta, Ga.
He didn’t want to be known as the comic actor who tries to take himself seriously and fails. “I was thinking that this would be something I would make fun of if somebody else did a bad job at it.”
It turns out Rogen was ready for the challenge and now he has nothing to worry about or lampoon as critics praise the film and his performance.
Certainly, the Danny Boyledirected movie is more than a life-and-times biopic of a narcissist who led Apple into the new media world.
Written by The Social Network’s Aaron Sorkin, the film exists as a three-act portrait. The story focuses on backstage interactions before launches of Apple’s Macintosh, Jobs’ failed solo effort with the NeXT computer and his triumphant return to the Apple company with the first iMac.
In telling sequences, Rogen’s Wozniak, who invented the original Apple computer, is mostly a haranguing target for Fassbender’s Jobs. And that’s when Rogen embraces the complicated Sorkin dialogue like a seasoned dramatic veteran.
“When something is written well, it makes it much easier to perform,” the actor says.
“It’s like it is easier to remember a good song than a bad song. Your brain just kind of retains it.”
Apparently, the same applies to acting opposite a talented actor such as Fassbender. “When you’re acting with really good actors, it makes the acting much easier. And we had lots of rehearsal — which was really helpful, at least for my confidence.”
Amazingly enough, Rogen wasn’t aware of Wozniak’s Apple role previously, but he did a lot of research after he won the part, and eventually met with the personal computer wizard before filming started.
“It was something I wanted to do and I figured it couldn’t hurt,” says Rogen of spending time with Wozniak. “I am not someone who is afraid of information.
“Woz is so sympathetic and lovable and non-confrontational, and I think in the end it did give me a lot of insight into how to perform my version of the character.”
Working alongside filmmaker Boyle was equally impressive for Rogen, who has co-directed a few raunchy comedies with Vancouver friend and collaborator Evan Goldberg.
Before that, they co-wrote and produced Superbad and Pineapple Express, and joined forces to do The Green Hornet with Rogen playing the lead.
And then they co-created and co-directed This Is The End and the controversial farce The Interview.
The sequel to Neighbors, cowritten by Rogen and Goldberg, is a return to bawdy form for Rogen, who reconnects with Rose Byrne, reprising her role as his wife. Zac Efron and Dave Franco are back, too, as former frat guys gone wild.
“I think it’s going very well and it seems to be funny, and I will be excited to see it when it’s done,” says Rogen of the sequel, set for theatres next May.
In the meantime, there is this: An inquiring mind asks Rogen to pick the most difficult genre — comedy or drama? He’s not sure, but he does know what can be the most embarrassing.
“In the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario, a drama plays to a theatre of silent people,” Rogen says.
“In a comedy, you can really tell when it’s not working — it’s not a mystery. You don’t have to talk to your friends in the parking lot after.
“So that’s why comedy is a bigger swing.”