Michael Cera nearly quit acting for good at 19 after making Superbad

Michael Cera has revealed how after suffering a career crisis following his role in the iconic Superbad, he came very close to quitting acting.

The actor, now 35, was just 19-years-old when he rose to fame after landing one of the starring roles in the cult classic, which was released back in 2007.

But while Cera has gone on to star in a whole array of flicks, such as Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Sausage Party, and most recently in the highly anticipated Barbie movie, things weren't always plain sailing for the Canadian actor.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Cera opened up about how he experienced a career crisis following the release of both Superbad and Juno in 2007, with him saying he 'didn't know how to handle walking down the street'.

"That was sort of overwhelming,” he said. “I didn’t know how to handle walking down the street. Fame makes you very uncomfortable in your own skin, and makes you paranoid and weird.

"There were lots of great things about it, and I met a lot of amazing people, but there’s a lot of bad energies, too, ones that I was not equipped to handle."

Explaining these 'bad energies', Cera said: "Drunk people would be a classic example. You know, if people are drunk, and they recognise you, and they’re very enthusiastic, but it can be kind of toxic too.

Columbia Pictures

"When you’re a kid, people also feel they can kind of grab you – they’re not that respectful of you or your physical space."

The actor explained how at the age of 19, he 'didn't know how to respectfully establish his own boundaries', revealing that the weekend Superbad came out, he went to a bar with friends but said 'it was a mistake'.

"It was like a burning feeling the whole time, just like everybody was so aware of me."

Following the release of both movies, Cera made a conscious effort to step away from more commercial projects, saying: "There was a point where I wanted to stop taking jobs that would make me more famous."

The actor even turned down the opportunity to host Saturday Night Live, much to the dismay of his agents.

"I was kind of having a bit of a crisis … I was really not enjoying the level of heat," Cera explained. "I really didn’t know if I was going to keep being an actor."

Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

Thankfully for fans, Cera already being signed up for Edgar Wright’s 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the thing that essentially pulled him through, with him saying: "I was already committed to it, and went and did it, and obviously feel so grateful that that happened."

Cera's latest role is as Allan in Greta Gerwig's Barbie - for those not in the know, Allan was created in 1964 as a best friend to Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, but discontinued the following year because he was so underwhelming.

Well, we're more than certain Cera will well and truly revive Allan - you can see for yourselves on 21 July when Barbie drops in cinemas worldwide.