The embarrassing audition Seth Rogen wants to delete from history: “That’s how bad it was”
After experiencing his first bout of colossal success in his 20s, penning the iconic screenplay for Superbad with high-school friend Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen continued in his comedic pursuits, with some being more successful than others. At first, it seemed as though one hit seemed to follow another, with the duo going on to make the classic stoner comedy Pineapple Express, another film that became a blockbuster and marked the next rung on their career ladder.
However, this kind of success isn’t always sustainable, and the pair shortly learnt that the business was full of ups, downs and duds, going on to make films like This Is The End and The Interview that weren’t met as kindly by critics. But alas, these shifts are only natural throughout the course of any artist’s lifetime, with some stories that appeal to huge audiences and others like Sausage Party that are a bit of a swing and a miss. But alongside the tumultuousness of writing and directing, Rogen also experienced this in his acting career, describing one disastrous audition tape that he prays never sees the light of day.
There are some films that have been bestowed the absolute honour of the greatest flop of all time, with Martin Brest’s 2003 film Gigli earning one of the top spots on this list after crashing and burning at the box office.
Starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, there is no film in either of their filmographies that has been more poorly rated, with the story following a man called Larry who is tasked with kidnapping the son of a powerful federal prosecutor, and is met with resistance when another woman is sent to complete the same job.
Rogen revealed that he originally auditioned for the role of Brian, a mentally challenged hostage who was eventually portrayed by Justin Bartha. At the time, he thought it could be the role of a lifetime and a great opportunity to work with Brest and potentially scoop up an award or two, hoping to impress the director with his very earnest audition tape.
When describing this, Rogen said, “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. And I’m tempted to do an impression of what I did, but I can’t even do it. I can’t. That’s how bad it was. It’s so bad. I dare not even portray what I did in this audition. Because I went for it. I saw myself at the Oscars.”
While it might not have been a sensitive or politically correct portrayal of this character, Rogen was blinded by his sheer determination, leading to an audition tape that he, in his more reflective era of his life, hopes will never be seen by anyone, ever. Rogen expanded, “Truthfully, if that tape was out [in] the world today, this would be the last interview you ever saw me do. Other than, like, my apology tour, please, if you have it, burn it. Please sell it to me. I will buy it.”
