Michael Cera Says He Almost Quit Acting After ‘Superbad’ Fame: ‘That Was Sort Of Overwhelming’

etcanada.com:

Michael Cera is looking back at the shock of his nearly overnight fame thanks to “Superbad”. While the star had been acting in roles prior to the 2007 comedy, with “Arrested Development” and “Juno” under his belt, it was “Superbad” that put him on the public’s radar. “That was sort of overwhelming,” Cera told The Guardian of being shoved into the spotlight at 19. “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.” READ MORE: Why Michael Cera Wasn’t Included In The ‘Barbie’ Cast Group Texts Particularly “bad energies” came from drunk people according to the “Barbie” star. “If people are drunk, and they recognize you, and they’re very enthusiastic, but it can be kind of toxic too,” he said. “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.

I didn’t know how to respectfully establish my own boundaries.” The opening weekend of “Superbad” stuck out particularly in his mind as a drastic shift in the way he existed in public. “It was like a burning feeling the whole time.

Just like everybody was so aware of me,” he recalled. The overnight success resulted in a “crisis” for Cera, where he stepped away from roles that would’ve catapulted him further into fame. READ MORE: Michael Cera Recalls Rihanna Slapping Him In ‘This Is The End’: ‘I Was Into It’ “There was a point where I wanted to stop taking jobs that would make me more famous,” Cera said, including turning down the opportunity to host “Saturday