There are certain people who I am very relaxed about interviewing at this point because of how many times we’ve spoken and the circumstances, and I think chief among them at this point would be Seth Rogen.
I’ve always found Seth to be exactly what you think he would be if you’ve watched his movies. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s approachable, and he’s got a self-effacing sense of humor that indicates to me that he hasn’t changed one bit since I first saw him in “Freaks and Geeks.” At least not in the ways that matter.
Sure, he’s more mature. Sure, he’s the one calling the shots on his new film, “This Is The End,” which he wrote and directed with his partner, Evan Goldberg. Sure, he’s married now and seems like a really happy man. But there’s nothing about him that seems more guarded or more cynical. If anything, I respect him because of how frank he’s always been and how he hasn’t let his fame take that away from him.
He’s also just plain fun to talk to. Always.
Like everyone who saw the thing on Sunday night, we started our conversation with “Game Of Thrones” on Monday morning, and then we went into what seemed like a loose, free-wheeling examination of the way Rogen and his co-stars Jay Baruchel and Craig Robinson are all feeling about “This Is The End” now that they’ve seen it and they can take a step back and relax.
I like Robinson a hell of a lot. He’s a guy who has a very specific comic persona, but who always seems to be a few steps ahead of the conversation. Jay Baruchel is another guy who seems to always be thinking. Knowing he’s a horror fan makes the conversation with him about this film so much easier, and sure enough, you can see how much it means to him to do this sort of thing in the answers he gives.
Towards the end of the piece, I ask Seth if he’s prepared for the moment Sony looks at this movie and asks him to take over the “Ghostbusters” franchise, and I really like his answer. I think “The Green Hornet” will turn out to be a formative experience for him and for Evan, and it’ll be interesting to see when, if ever, they tackle a film that big again. It’s not for everyone, and I’m happy to see them figure out what it is they really want to say as filmmakers.
“This Is The End” opens on June 14.