Featured Image Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images
Topics: Seth Rogen, Film, Celebrity
Joshua Nair
Topics: Seth Rogen, Film, Celebrity
Comedy legend Seth Rogen admitted that there are some audition tapes from the early stages of his career, which he hopes never sees the light of day.
The Canadian actor has become one of the most successful names in the film and TV industry, venturing away from the comedy genre with work on projects such as Invincible and Preacher in recent years.
But in the early stages of his career, fresh off the cancellation of NBC series Freak and Geeks, Rogen was struggling to find consistent work and auditioned for various titles here and there.
He recently admitted that he was grateful that many of them were filmed on VHS, and so weren't readily available online. However, Rogen said that one audition in particular stood out when it came to never wanting the public to see it.
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Rogen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, and as well as speaking about his desire for Vin Diesel to appear in the second season of The Studio, the actor name-dropped a film he auditioned for which could - nowadays - get him cancelled.
Gigli was released in 2003 and stars Ben Affleck opposite Jennifer Lopez, while Al Pacino and Christopher Walken were also part of the cast.
Despite the star-studded line up, the title flopped at the box office and has a score of just six percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Recalling his audition at the time, Rogen said: “Thank god it was mostly physical VHS tapes and stuff like that that was being used when I was auditioning for things.
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“Because the things I auditioned for, in retrospect, if they were out there in the world, they would end my career very, very fast, I believe.”
Moving onto Gigli in particular, the 43-year-old explained: “I auditioned for this boy with a cognitive disability. 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.”
He admitted that he was 'an aspiring young actor' at the time that 'didn't get a lot of auditions', so aimed to stand out from the crowd, adding: "I don’t think I wore a helmet into the audition."
Rogen was so ashamed and aware of how offensive his audition was, that he refused to show it to the audience.
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"I’m tempted to do an impression of what I did and I can’t even do it," the Knocked Up star admitted.
He went on: "That’s how bad it was. Truthfully, if that tape was out today, this would be the last video you see of me today - outside of my apology tour.
"Please, if you have it, burn it. Please sell it to me. I will buy it," he said of the tape.
The role of Brian, the boy with a cognitive disability, went to Justin Bartha in the end, who is best known for his role as Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy.
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Luckily, success was right around the corner for Rogen, who would star in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, and Pineapple Express in the following years.