What People Who Have Worked With Michael Cera Said About Him

If there’s one thing Hollywood loves, it’s a film about the end of the world. Something about the demise of humanity and/or the planet seems to offer a perverse form of pleasure. While many such films are CGI spectaculars, This Is the End goes in a different direction, showing what happens to a group of actors confronted with the literal end of the world. Given that each of the actors in the 2013 film plays a version of themselves, it’s a flick that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Cera’s version of himself is particularly outlandish, behaving in boorish and misogynist ways quite at odds with the star’s usual performances. This is what managed to impress Evan Goldberg, who co-directed and co-wrote the film with Seth Rogen. Commenting on Cera's performance (in addition to the character’s trademark windbreaker), Goldberg said: 

We wrote this insane character for him, and his only note as an actor, which it's rare to only have one, is ‘I want to wear this windbreaker.’ It's his real-life windbreaker… Michael was like a hurricane of hilarity. All the other actors, he was the one they were looking at like, ‘This is, like, magical.’

Sometimes it may seem like the movie industry takes nice people and crushes the kindness out of them. Fortunately this doesn't apply to Cera, and many of his castmates in various productions have gone out of their way to show just how kind he is. 

One such person is Ellen Wong, who portrayed Scott’s girlfriend (and then ex-girlfriend) Knives Chau in 2010's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In her telling, he went out of his way to be kind and supportive to her: 

On the first day [of filming], and the first scene I shot was where Knives was at the door meeting Scott's bandmates for the first time. I thought that was so appropriate because I was so scared and so was she in that moment. 

So, here I am, by myself behind this door and Michael opens the door with ‘You promise to be good?’ and I deliver my line, he closes the door… and we're waiting to reload the camera and in that time, Michael opens up the door, peeks his head out and goes 'Ellen, you're doing a really good job. Keep it up' and that just goes to show you what a genuinely nice guy… he is and how he is who he is and what you see is what you get.

While Cera came to fame for starring in Arrested Development, he attained even more fame from his appearance in 2007's Juno, in which he plays Paulie Bleeker. As he would in so many of his other roles, Cena managed to capture the angst and befuddlement of a teenager caught in an unexpected situation. In this case, it involves accidentally getting his friend, Juno, pregnant. 

Asked about Cera's best characteristics, co-star Elliot Page praised him for his “unbelievable sweetness,” before going on to describe him as “honest and sincere and just so funny.”

From the moment Cera and Jonah Hill appeared in Superbad, it was clear they had the type of chemistry that makes a buddy film just work. In the 2007 film, they play a pair of teens who want to lose their virginity. Their performance, as well as the film’s smart script, helps elevate it into the realm of the great teen comedies, and it even manages to pull off the right balance between vulgar jokes and emotional authenticity. 

Hill has been open about his admiration for his co-star, particularly when it comes to establishing boundaries (always a tricky matter for young stars in Hollywood). As he explained in a 2019 interview with A24, in which he addressed Cera, who was also present:

…you even at 19 had like a very good boundary, self protection of what felt right for you and what didn't. I really didn't have any self protection of what felt goofy or what felt like I was betraying myself in some way. I think you have really good boundaries even when you were a kid. You kind of knew what felt sh*tty and what felt good and were able to stand up for yourself in a lot of ways.

Throughout his career, Cera has specialized in playing characters who are, for lack of a better word, wimpy. For example, in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, he plays the title character, who has to do battle against the various people who have dated his girlfriend. Despite his meek exterior, Scott shows he has more mettle than one might expect, and this is also true of Cera in real life.

In fact, as his co-star Kieran Culkin notes, no one should underestimate Cera's strength and skill: 

He’s also wildly competitive, but in an under-the-radar way. I’ll teach him a game I’ve been playing for years and say, ‘Here, I’ll sort of teach you how to play it and go easy on you,’ and then he whoops my a** and I can never beat him again. He’s just that guy.

Part of what makes Cera a fascinating star is how compelling he is as a romantic lead. While he might not have the same dashing looks as some stars of his generation, his characters often stand out for their sweetness and authenticity. In Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, for example, he shares some sparkling on-set chemistry with co-star Kat Dennings.

Their bond is explained in part by the time they spent getting to know each other before the film even started shooting. Cera recalls getting breakfast with his co-star, as well as taking long walks home. Dennings, in conversation with Cera, recalled how he “made me walk, like, 800 blocks constantly.”