Michael Cera: Hottie In Hiding

You know the type; soft-spoken, really cute but not aware of it, sorta nerdy and a heart of gold? Young actor Michael Cera is our latest cinema poster child for this particular brand of heartthrob. After his Juno role, Michael is again playing an unlikely leading man in the fun new romantic comedy Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist about a guy and gal thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living and live, loud music. Sounds like a solid party to us!

Nick (Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. He meets Norah (Kat Dennings) who is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world including her user boyfriend. Although they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives.

TeenHollywood.com sat down with the unassuming, gentlemanly Michael at the recent Toronto International Film Festival and here's what he had to tell us about his new movie, acting in general, his love of music and his upcoming projects: (We chat with Kat in a separate interview)

TeenHollywood: How did this project come to you?

Michael: Well my manager sent me Raising Victor Vargas which is the movie that (director) Pete (Sollett) did and I really loved it and wanted to meet him and then I went to New York and met him and really liked him and wanted to work with him. I thought he would do the movie really well and we made it.

TeenHollywood: Sounds simple but we know it's not. Your career has taken off pretty astronomically in the last year or so. How do you feel about the way things are going? Are you comfortable with it? Do you enjoy it?

Michael: Yeah. I've been enjoying it. I enjoy working. I really like it. Being on the sets. It's nice being able to do that, being able to continue doing it.

TeenHollywood: When you were doing the TV show "Arrested Development", did you expect that you would achieve this kind of success?

Michael: No, I never think about it or expect anything. I still don't. I just like working and being on sets.

TeenHollywood: Is it nice to work on a project where you have the opportunity to showcase your improvisational skills and just mix it up in the moment?

Michael: Yeah, that's fun. It's fun doing that, just having a conversation. It always feels real because it is real. I mean you're just talking off the top of your head. It's also nice having a script. It's kind of fun doing both where a script is really carefully plotted. With this movie, the whole plot is [is about Kat and I] getting to know each other so we could just talk about anything and it would establish that we're getting to know each other. That's kind of the driving force of the movie so with this we could just talk.

TeenHollywood: Have you studied improvisation or is it just something you naturally do?

Michael: I did these games where you can take Second City classes here and you just play games with other kids. I guess I probably learned something from that. You know, just listen, that's all you have to do. I think anyone can do it. If you can have a conversation, you can improvise as long as you're not trying to be funny. That's when you can start to trick yourself. It's just much easier to talk and not have to worry about being funny.

TeenHollywood: You are in the target demo for movies like this and Superbad and Juno. What do you think is different about movies of the last couple of years and the ones that are coming out now?

Michael: Well I like anything that feels authentic and comes from a real place, comes from someone's heart. I've never liked those gross-out comedies. I watch a lot of movies and that's not really what I watch or like. I just try to do things that I think I would like.

TeenHollywood: Do you ever read something in a script and you'll say, 'well okay, this isn't really how I would respond in this situation' and you try to lead them in a more authentic direction?

Michael: Sometimes. Yeah. But sometimes it's good to not respond the way you would respond. It depends, I guess. But sometimes I'm feeling like 'well this doesn't really ring true' and you can work with the director or the writers on that. It's good when you work with people that are collaborative and open minded. The people that aren't afraid forfeiting control kind of always come up with the best products. If you're afraid of forfeiting control...you shouldn't be afraid at all because you can make decisions in the editing room. That's totally where that happens, but you create options on set. You can only get it once unless you come back and re-shoot.

TeenHollywood: This movie centers around music. Both this and Juno have amazing soundtracks. What your relationship is with music and how you feel about the use of it in movies?

Michael: Music in movies is important I think and can totally change a movie. It really creates the tone. Some movies work without music like No Country for Old Men, Annie Hall. But it's a conscious choice. You feel that. You feel that lack of music. In The Long Goodbye, there's that theme song all throughout it, like different versions of that wherever he goes. You always recognize it every time. It's great.

TeenHollywood: What about the music in this film? You want music that is hip but you also don't want music that's too obscure. Who did the music for the film?

Michael: It's Peter and Myron (Kerstein). Those guys are smart. Pete's really up and a music buff.

TeenHollywood: What do you like to listen to?

Michael: I like movie music a lot and I like Neil Young and the Beach Boys and Alan Price and Alden Penner. Do you know Alan Price? Have you seen Oh Lucky Man!? That's a great sound track. That's a fantastic movie. That's not on my iPod, that movie, but it should be. The sound track definitely is and I listen to it often.

TeenHollywood: Do you compose or play music?

Michael: I did a score for a documentary that my friends made. We did the music for it but it's just very bare bones, you know, like guitar and that kind of thing. I play guitar (we saw him play in Juno) and a little piano.

TeenHollywood: Did you have to learn how to play bass for this film?

Michael: Or fake it. I just kind of faked it. [laughs] I felt confident in faking it.

TeenHollywood: Do kids recognize you from your films and come up to you?

Michael: No. I've never had that. I've never had a kid open up to me about something. If I get recognized, it's normally like a brief exchange. Someone will say, 'I really like your work.' It's always very pleasant. Or someone will shout something out.

TeenHollywood: Everyone points out how grounded you are but you've been in some big hit movies. What keeps you so "normal" or grounded? Michael: [laughs] I don't know. Do people change? I've never met someone who has changed. I think that's probably bound to happen to them no matter what they were doing. It depends on who you are, I guess. I don't know.

TeenHollywood: Can you relate to your character in this movie?

Michael: I can relate to being broken up with, heartache, and meeting someone and striking up a friendship.

TeenHollywood: Any tips for getting over a break up?

Michael: Yeah. Watch this movie. [laughs]

TeenHollywood: We keep hearing things about an "Arrested Development" movie. Is it happening as far as you know?

Michael: I mean we're not in production and I haven't read a script. I know Jason (Bateman) wants to and I don't know if Mitch (writer Mitchell Hurwitz) wants to, but I would only want to be a part of it if it was going to be good. It's good to end on a high note I think. Go out with a bang and leave them wanting more. That's just my instinct. I don't think it would be worth doing unless it was going to live up to the expectation that might come with it.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about the legacy of that show? For certain people, it's like "Freaks and Geeks"; taken away before its time.

Michael: I love 'Freaks and Geeks'. I just treasure those episodes. I've watched them over and over. But we did have a good run. Three seasons was more than I ever expected when we started because, right off the bat, we were told it's not doing too good and it might not get a back nine. So I was surprised every time we got picked up. It was nice. And it had a nice following. I mean it's nice to have a handful of people who really love it. It really makes you feel good whenever people come up and talk about it. It feels like a really tight knit group of fans. And I think it had a pretty good run. We told a long story.

TeenHollywood: Could you talk about your next projects?

Michael: Youth in Revolt is coming out in February I think. It's based on the book. I loved the book. It's about a young guy who meets a girl on a family vacation and then becomes obsessed with her. It's a great book by C.D. Payne and anyone should read it if they have the time. I've read it five times. I loved the book and loved the character and was so excited to do it and then I'm really happy with the experience and I think the movie will be good.

TeenHollywood: Who plays the girl?

Michael: Portia Doubleday. She's an actress that I don't think has done very much and she's great. It's shot in Michigan around the Detroit area and Ann Arbor.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist opens in theaters on October 3, 2008.