Michael Cera explains why he doesn't have a smartphone and how it holds him back in Hollywood
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Gregory Robinson
Featured Image Credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo /Sony
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Michael Cera is sticking by his decision to ditch modern technology and social media but has said it’s had an impact on his career.
The Arrested Development star, 34, is a very private person and is notoriously hard to track down.
That’s why when he was eventually found for a new interview, he was asked why he’s snubbed smartphones and social media.
Advert
“It doesn’t feel conscious,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about his decision to avoid social media. “Because everybody does it, it starts to feel like a big choice. But it’s just not interesting to me.”
The Superbad actor then explains the origin story for his ‘aversion’ to smartphones, which dates back to his friend essentially phubbing him at dinner.
Phubbing is when someone is more focused on their phone than on the conversation happening around them in case you didn’t know.
After revealing his decision to not have a smartphone is a ‘conscious choice’, he added: “Because I feel a bit of fear about it honestly like I’d really lose control of my waking life.
"Right when people started having smartphones, when it was Blackberries, I had lunch with a friend of mine who was my best friend at the time, and he’d just gotten a Blackberry, and for the whole meal he was typing emails, and I was sat there lonely and bored.
"So I had an early aversion to them.”
Cera, who is set to appear in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film this year, was asked if not having a big social media presence has impacted has career, especially when producers are looking for stars with large online followings.
He responded: “It’s very possible. I mean, I’m definitely not holding any sway in that category. So if that’s an important thing I think I wouldn’t be considered.”
Despite ditching social media and smartphones, Cera is still booked and busy.
He currently stars in the Hulu comedy-drama series Life & Beth alongside Amy Schumer, Violet Young, Yamaneika Saunders, Michael Rapaport and Susannah Flood. Production on the critically acclaimed series’ second season is currently filming.
Meanwhile, Cera's Superbad co-star Seth Rogen recently claimed that there have been no good high school movies since the beloved 2007 film was released.
The film marked Cera's breakout film role. Rogen wrote the screenplay with his longtime best friend Evan Goldberg, who wanted to create their own film, citing they couldn’t connect to '90s movies at the time.
The two had based it on their high school experiences, and many of the characters were based on people they grew up with.
The movie also starred Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Christopher Mintz Plasse, Bill Hader and Martha MacIsaac.