Seth Rogen's Kinky/Romantic Adventure

Whether he's "Superbad" or a cuddly nerd in Knocked Up, actor/writer Seth Rogen just tickles our funnybones and makes being a geek chic! The trend continues in Seth's new Kevin Smith-directed film Zack and Miri Make a Porno. (Warning: This film is rated "R" for all the reasons you might think). Even though the subject matter seems risque, "Zack and Miri" has a romantic relationship at its core and what is sweeter than seeing old friends realize that they are in love? There is also a good message about casual hook-ups versus real love that we can all benefit from.

When we chatted with Seth recently in Beverly Hills, we wondered if his nerd days might be over. The guy has lost tons of weight and is lookin' buff. He's traded in his poofy-curly do for closer-trimmed locks as well; all for his upcoming role in the superhero actioner The Green Hornet no doubt but the result is a whole new Seth. We wanted to know how the actor felt when he was asked to be in "Zack and Miri", his idol Kevin Smith's film, wazzup with the new buff look and what's next for the popular actor/writer.

TeenHollywood: Okay, wow! You are a whole new Seth or 1/2 of the old Seth!

Seth: Thank you! I've been eating right and dieting. I've been exercising, it sucks, I hate it. (laughter) I hate what I've become. (laughter)

TeenHollywood: (We show him the cute stick figure poster for the film) How does it feel to be the stick figure up there?

Seth: It's good, I like it, I think it's a funny ad. I think it looks a lot like me, (laughter) I think it's startlingly like me. I don't feel an urge to get my face up there anymore (laughs)...

TeenHollywood: If you ever had any financial woes like Zack and Miri do, would you go and make a porno to pay the rent?

Seth: (laughs) I don't know, I honestly don't know who would go and see it, but maybe yeah, (laughter) I would. I've thought about it, yeah.

TeenHollywood: Let's play a silly game. What would your porno name be? It's the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on. Mine is Rosita Albert.

Seth: (laughing) It's Aloysius St. James (we burst out laughing). Yeah, it's a pretty good one. I had a hamster named Aloysius.

TeenHollywood: Zack and Miri have been friends since high school. What do you think brings them together romantically?

Seth: It's the unspoken love. I think a lot of people have been friends with people and they're in love with them and it takes an event to bring that to the surface and in this movie, that event is making a porno movie (laughs). So yeah, I think it's a very relatable premise. I think we just kind of brought to a somewhat odd place.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about your chemistry with co-star Elizabeth Banks?

Seth: She's great, you know, we're friends, I think that helps. I think you can tell that we know each other. I think she has a really kind of dirty sensibility, which is one of the reasons I thought she'd be good for the movie in the first place, I knew she wouldn't sue me, so yeah, I think, I give her all the credit for that.

TeenHollywood: As a Canadian, how was it dealing with the cold weather and ice hockey shooting in Pittsburgh?

Seth: I was actually equipped to deal with the cold weather, slightly better than say my girlfriend, who's from Florida. It wasn't that bad. I actually can't play hockey at all. I didn't actually skate in the movie, that was fake. But yeah, the cold weather wasn't so bad. I kind of enjoy it.

TeenHollywood: This is kind of your dream come true project, because we hear that you always wanted to be in a Kevin Smith movie.

Seth: Yeah, I always wanted to work with him and yeah, that was always a goal of mine, and it's exciting that it finally happened. I got an e-mail. It was shocking that he even knew who I was. I'd met him months before very briefly, but I mean when someone you really like wants to work with you, somebody who inspired you to do what you do in the first place, I mean it is thrilling!

TeenHollywood: You've worked with director Judd Apatow and now Kevin and they're kind of the kings of raunchy comedy. Can you compare them as directors?

Seth: Well, they both kind of mix raunchy with sweetness but their styles on set are very different. Judd doesn't really know what he wants, he knows what he wants the scenes to be about, but not as far as how the information comes out, who says what, what the jokes are. He discovers all that while we're shooting and Kevin's very specific, he knows exactly what he wants, he knows what the shots are. That's the fundamental difference, and they're both great.

TeenHollywood: A lot of women have said to me that they're happy you're doing nerdy romantic roles and now, they're more interested in guys that are nerdy...

Seth: Good. (laughter) I just try to do the types of movies I like to go see and I think romantic comedies, when handled right, can be a very great genre. And that's all the thought I put into it. (laughter)

TeenHollywood: Zack and Miri go to their high school reunion. Have you been to a horrible high school reunion.

Seth: No, I never went. It's still two years from my ten year reunion and I would never go. I'd be such a d**k for going (laughter), 'guess what I do guys'? (laughter) 'What do you do?'

TeenHollywood: Was there anyone from the past you would want to see like a high school crush?

Seth: No, I see everyone I want to see from high school and I've stopped talking to everyone I don't. (laughter)

TeenHollywood: Did you do a lot of improvisation in Zack and Miri?

Seth: I did some yeah, I mean Kevin has a much more clear idea of what he wants going in, but he's definitely open to changing lines and changing jokes so yeah, there's a fair bit in there.

TeenHollywood: What did your girlfriend think of the movie?

Seth: She loves it. It's a romantic comedy, and women love romantic comedies you know, so yeah, she really likes it.

TeenHollywood: Last year you really hit it big in movies and you're going along doing a lot of work this year. How do you feel about your success?

Seth: I'm psyched about it, I don't know (laughter). It's nice! And now I've got to just keep doing it. I just have to keep doing movies that I find interesting, and that's all I know how to do really. I take it on a movie by movie basis and just think is this a movie I would see, yeah, okay, then I'll do it.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk a little bit about some of your upcoming movies, one you are making with Judd?

Seth: We just started shooting it actually, we were three weeks in, and it's going great! Me and Adam Sandler and Jonah and Jason Schwartzman, and Eric Bana and a slew of stand up comics and it's been going really well, it's a lot of fun. I play a stand up comic, yeah, and Sandler plays a stand up comic as well, and it's a really interesting movie, I'm really excited about it.

TeenHollywood: Is it a little bit more drama?

Seth: A little bit more drama, yeah, it's a little heavier, definitely in its subject matter, It deals with death in a lot of ways. And then we start The Green Hornet, in May or April, and Stephen Chow is directing that, and we're psyched about that. Just the fact that one guy could play Kato and direct it was appealing to us. (laughter) Just less people to deal with. (laughter) And we love his movies you know, I'm a huge fan of his movies, I think he's hilarious, and we got him!

TeenHollywood: So how much is it going to be a comedy and how much serious?

Seth: You know, we don't know, I mean originally we were going for more of a serious action movie but we feel no obligation to live up to anything we've told any of you in the past (laughter). So, we're really right now in the process of discovering what the tone is exactly. We know the story we want to tell, that's always been the same but with Stephen coming on, we've got to let him inject his sensibilities.

TeenHollywood: Who are the bad guys?

Seth: The Green Hornet always just fought criminals. There was never really any flamboyant villainous characters. There always was just like men in suits, you know, and we're taking that as our cue.

TeenHollywood: What about the new film Observe and Report?

Seth: I think it's amazing, I'm unbelievably proud and psyched about it, I don't know if you saw The Foot Fist Way, but it's, the director who did that and it's a very dark, dark comedy, it's like a comedic Taxi Driver, that's exactly what it is. It's a very edgy, dark, hilarious, hilarious movie and it's one of my favorite movies I've been in, just cause I can't believe how edgy and balls to the wall it is.