The performance Seth Rogen called “the worst acting in the entire world”
When you look at an actor like Seth Rogen, it becomes clear that there’s a divide between those who are primed for a life in the industry and those who pick it up as they go.
In fact, Rogen once addressed this contrast, explaining how the opportunities he was given meant that he fell somewhere in the middle. He specifically reflected on how he’d been exposed to a healthy mix of learning on the job and finding out things as he went, both sides shaping the kind of actor he became later on in his career.
Growing up, Rogen went to a few acting classes, something he continued in a more casual format when he started attending high school. But none of it, according to him, was particularly stringent, nor was it all that regimented when it came to the things he would need to flex later on, if he was lucky enough to find his way onto a film or television set.
Another thing that he noticed along the way was how much knowledge was a given. “I take for granted a lot of the movie bullshit you pick up over the years, and you forget how specific it is,” he admitted to Back Stage. “And how if you didn’t know, if no one told you what a mark is, it would be so foreign.”
Most of these reflections came when the actor was asked about his experience on Freaks and Geeks, when, at 17, he was still very much learning the ropes. On set, he recalled the learning curve that came with developing on the job and the supportiveness of the team, who often allowed the cast to sit in the writer’s room, just to see how everything was done.
This isn’t that common, especially nowadays, when there’s usually a divide between the actors and the writers, with the expectation that people will show up, do their job, and go home. With Freaks and Geeks, however, Rogen recalled them having a different kind of attitude where they thought, “Let’s teach these people” and “Let’s go out of our way to explain everything,” allowing them to contribute elsewhere.
That said, Rogen’s stint on the show isn’t one he views as a standout when it comes to his best work. In fact, when he elaborated on their acting, he made it clear that it was anything but. But, then again, that was conducive to the kind of environment they were in, where there was a lax feel to everything that they did, almost like going from his real high school to a fake one.
As he put it, “When I watch [the episodes], it looks terrible—like the worst acting in the entire world. But that was the mantra of the show: Act normal. Act natural. What would you do in this situation? What would you say? The writers would ask us what we would actually say in a situation. Not ‘What do you think will be funny?’”
He went on, “I think that type of attitude went across the whole show, which is why I think the performances are so great. Except me. Although, I got better near the end, just in time to get cancelled. We still say that every day when we’re shooting: ‘Do what feels natural.’”
This was probably a blessing and a curse. Ultimately, however, it was likely the ideal situation for a budding actor of Rogen’s age – an environment where there’s room for flexibility and to be taken seriously, as well as time and patience when it comes to learning and capabilities. Which, apparently, was crucial to him turning into an even better actor.
