Seth Rogen Opens Up About His Self-Doubts & Struggles That Nobody Sees!

1. 0:00 – 2:25

   Intro

   1. SBSteven Bartlett0:00

      Hey, there. Welcome. (laughs)

   2. SRSeth Rogen0:03

      (laughs) Hey, hey, hey, hey.

   3. SBSteven Bartlett0:04

      Seth Rogen!

   4. SRSeth Rogen0:05

      Writer, producer, and actor you know from Pineapple Express. Knocked Up. And Superbad. They loved it. (laughs) (crowd cheering) Hollywood, it's not a fair industry. It is not fair who makes it. Any given phone call is one that is, like, making your life or one that is yet another door slamming in your face. We had finished Superbad, and then we wrote Pineapple Express. No one wanted to make it. (laughs) Bulls- But if you don't quit, you might make it.

   5. SBSteven Bartlett0:32

      People would obviously look at you and assume that you have zero self-doubt because you've been so successful in what you've done. But what's your journey been with self-doubt?

   6. SRSeth Rogen0:38

      I'm at the point, it's funny, in my career where, like, not a lot of people are in a position to, like, yell at me. But I will have a cultural institution tell everyone that I suck. (laughs) That will add self-doubt.

   7. SBSteven Bartlett0:50

      Green Hornet, you received critical reviews for that. Like, what's that phase like?

   8. SRSeth Rogen0:54

      Any opening weekend, honestly, and any time I have a thing coming out, it sucks. I think if most critics knew how much it hurt the people that they are writing about, they would second guess the way they write these things. (laughs) Like, it's devastating on something that people carry with them literally their entire lives.

   9. SBSteven Bartlett1:16

      Before we get into this episode, just wanted to say thank you, first and foremost, for being part of this community. Um, the team here at the Diary of a CEO is now almost 30 people, and that's literally because you watch, and you subscribe, and you, um, leave comments, and you like the videos that th- this show's been able to grow. And it's the greatest honor of my life to sit here with these incredible people and just selfishly ask some questions that I'm pondering over or worrying about in my life. But this is just the beginning for the Diary of a CEO. We've got big, big plans to scale this show, um, to every corner of the world and to, to, to diversify our guest selection. And that's enabled by you, by a simple thing that you guys do, which is to watch. So, if there's one thing you could do to help this show and to help us continue to do what we do, it's just to hit the subscribe button. If you like this show, if you like what we do here, if you watch these episodes, please just hit that subscribe button. It means the world. Let's get on with it. (instrumental music) Seth, you've had an incredible twisting, turning career. And I have to say, when I was reading about your earliest years, an unexpected one in many respects.

2. 2:25 – 14:28

   Early context

   1. SBSteven Bartlett2:25

   2. SRSeth Rogen2:25

      To me, too. (laughs)

   3. SBSteven Bartlett2:27

      (laughs) What, what do I need to know about, um, about you, where you came from, how you were raised to understand the man that you are?

   4. SRSeth Rogen2:37

      (laughs) Uh, I mean, I d- (laughs) I g- that depends on your appetite, I guess. (laughs) Um, uh, I don't think anyone needs to know anything. But if, uh, if you're curious, um, I don't know. I mean, there's a lot. Uh, I, uh, I think a general, uh, th- uh, when I look at my life, I guess, I started young. I think that's something that I, uh, I, I kind of view as one of, like, the defining traits and characteristics, uh, o- of my life. And I think, uh, I've always worked very hard, uh, and I've always had very supportive parents. And I think those things all, uh, uh, are things that when, if you're looking at, like, if you're, if you're curious about how I got to where I am from, like, a career standpoint, I think, and just, like, who I am as a person in a lot of ways, I think those, those things were instrumental. Yeah.

   5. SBSteven Bartlett3:26

      Your parents.

   6. SRSeth Rogen3:27

      Yeah.

   7. SBSteven Bartlett3:28

      I was reading about them.

   8. SRSeth Rogen3:29

      Yeah, they're very strange people. Yeah. (laughs)

   9. SBSteven Bartlett3:33

      (laughs) How so?

   10. SRSeth Rogen3:35

       I mean, everyone's parents are strange to them, I would imagine. I would, uh, yeah, they're just, they're kind of, uh, you know, my dad's kind of eccentric. My mother's, uh, also kind of eccentric. (laughs) Um, you know, they, uh, but again, they were very, they're both incredibly supportive. Uh, I think because they're eccentric, I think a lot of, you know, my writing partner, Evan, his parents were much less eccentric by kind of more traditional metrics and were much less supportive of, (laughs) uh, of his career in a lot of ways. And so, uh, I probably benefited from their, you know, uh, eccentricities more than anything. Yeah.

   11. SBSteven Bartlett4:10

       Eccentric's a, a broad word.

   12. SRSeth Rogen4:14

       (laughs)

   13. SBSteven Bartlett4:14

       What does it... 'Cause I could, I could describe-

   14. SRSeth Rogen4:15

       It is.

   15. SBSteven Bartlett4:15

       ... my parents, specifically one of them, as being ex- eccentric.

   16. SRSeth Rogen4:18

       Yeah.

   17. SBSteven Bartlett4:18

       But when you say eccentric, w- what exactly do you mean?

   18. SRSeth Rogen4:21

       Um, I mean, my dad, well, my whole family, you know, I'm, uh, you know, like, a lot... Uh, my, my grandmother was, like, a- an immigrant, um, who fled, uh, World War I. A lot of Jewish families are defined by the fact that people, uh, w- have been trying to kill Jewish people (laughs) for a very long time. And my family is no different. Um, a lot of the reasons Jews live where they live and are where they are, and not, you know, in (laughs) you know, Eastern Europe somewhere is because, uh, you know, people were trying to kill them. And that also shapes, I think, uh, Jewish sensibility (laughs) to a large degree. I know it did mine, because, uh, it's kind of informed by, uh, neurosis and, uh, trauma to a large degree. (laughs) Um, and, uh, so yeah, my grandmother is a immigrant, and, um, she met my grandfather, uh, who, uh, his parents were immigrants to, uh, Winnipeg, which is a very cold, unforgiving part of Canada. Um, they moved to Vancouver ultimately and had my mother. Um, and my mother wanted to go to Israel to travel. My dad's from Newark, New Jersey, which is, um, like, especially where he's from, like, one of the worst parts of America (laughs) um, from, like, a, a kind of crime standpoint, especially at that time in the '70s and '80s. Um, and y- he, my dad's like a so- uh, uh, you know, a socialist (laughs) and moved to a kibbutz in Israel where him and my parents, uh, him and my mother met, and then moved, uh, to Canada. So, my dad has always been, like, incredibly left-wing, um, especially both my parents. But my dad really, like, he would've n- he would've stayed, like, essentially living on, like, a commune his whole life, uh, if, you know, he never met my mother, basically. Yeah.Um, and he has, like, a incredible kind of, like... I guess it's OCD. (laughs) I don't know if it's a disor- I would say he has obsessive compulsive, uh, tendencies. Um, and, uh, yeah, and he has Tourette Syndrome, uh, so he's twitchy and, uh, and I- I have it as well to some degree. But those are connected, uh, kind of compulsive, uh, you know compulsion and- and Tourette's, uh... So, yeah, I mean, uh, yeah, no shortage of strangeness to draw from when I... in my family. (laughs)

   19. SBSteven Bartlett6:35

       What was his, um, relationship like with money?

   20. SRSeth Rogen6:39

       Um, I'd say (laughs) not s- not that relevant. I mean, yeah, we... I was not... Money was, I think... We did not... I did not grow up with a lot of money, you know. Um, my parents, my mother, uh, went to school to be a social worker when I was very young, and then became a social worker. But when I was, like, a kid, she was a cashier at a, uh, you know, a, uh, department store. And my dad was a... worked at, like, a vocational college as an ombudsman, which, uh, kind of, uh, you know, is like a swing position in... to some degree. Help facilitates life on the, uh, on the campus, you know. A lot of time was spent working in the game room from my memory. (laughs) Uh, so, yeah, we grew up, you know, in a small apartment, and then... Um, so yeah, I think some people who don't grow up with a lot of money, I think are taught to really, like, revere money, and kind of, uh, put a lot of emphasis on it. And I think other people who don't grow up with a lot of money, uh, kind of are taught that it's not that important, and as long as you have enough to do certain things, then- then that's enough, and it's not something that you should, like, fetishize or, um, you know, make the be all end all by any means. And I was definitely more raised like that, yeah.

   21. SBSteven Bartlett7:50

       Is there some- sometimes a- a bit of a paradox when your parents, um, don't value money and maybe they sometimes struggle with it, that you grow up trying to avoid that struggle?

   22. SRSeth Rogen8:00

       Definitely. I for sure had some things when I was young where I was afraid of being broke, and I'm sure that for sure informed (laughs) elements of my ambition, you know. I'm very lucky in that it also coincided with a very strong, like, creative drive, you know. Um, but I definitely, yeah, remember being very concerned that we didn't have enough money, and my parents not being that concerned that we didn't have enough money, which probably made me more concerned (laughs) that we didn't have enough money, 'cause I was like, "Why are they worried we don't have enough money?" Uh, but... So yeah, that was... that was something that was kind of... But then, uh, that was when I was, like, very young. And then as I got older, I saw that, uh, you know, uh, when I got into high school and stuff, I saw that it... we w- I would be fine. You know what I mean? Uh, on the gr- on the grand scale of things. (laughs)

   23. SBSteven Bartlett8:51

       In that apartment when you were, quote unquote, very young, if I had asked you, if I had said, "Seth, what are you, uh, what are you going to be when you're older?" What would you have responded to me?

   24. SRSeth Rogen8:59

       Um, I mean, I probably woulda said, "I wanna write movies," or something like that.

   25. SBSteven Bartlett9:04

       Mm-hmm.

   26. SRSeth Rogen9:04

       I probably woulda wanted to be a ninja up until a certain age.

   27. SBSteven Bartlett9:07

       (laughs)

   28. SRSeth Rogen9:07

       Uh, uh, a ninja turtle specifically (laughs) , probably. Um, and then, uh, and then, yeah, I remember, uh, when I was probably, like, six or seven years old is when I started to really wanna... Like, the idea of making movies became very, like, fascinating to me. And I was one of those kids with a camera who was, like, running around making movies. I was obsessed with movies, quoting movies, wanted to watch... All I wanted to do is watch movies. I like... I love... I, like, fell in love with movies at a... at a very young age, yeah.

   29. SBSteven Bartlett9:33

       Was there an influence in your household that inspired that love for movies?

   30. SRSeth Rogen9:37

       My parents love movies. They are, like, huge movie fans. Um, they would go to movies. Again, it was one of those things, like, we did not have a lot of money, we would go to movies all the time. And, uh, in Vancouver, Tuesdays was, like, the cheap movie night for whatever reason. It's a slow night, so maybe they incentivized customers. And almost every Tuesday, we, as a family, would go to whatever new movie had come out that week. So we saw... I saw everything in theaters, like, constantly, and I loved it. Um, and my parents, you know, had a VCR and would tape movies off of television. And we had this... You know, I think a lot of k- uh, you know, people my age are kind of defined al- also by, like, those VHS tapes that you grew up with, 'cause it was, like, a finite amount of movies. And then I went to high school, me and Evan, across the street from two, uh, video rental stores, a Blockbuster and a Rogers, which was, like, the Canadian competitor. But we would go there every day after school and just, like, walk the hour, uh, aisles and... for hours, and rent movies. We'd go there on the weekends and rent tog- walk the aisles (laughs) and rent movies. Like, we were... Um, and, uh, yeah, ever since I was young, and then I met my writing partner, who became my producing partner and directing partner, Evan, when I was 12, so I was very young. But ever since, ever since then and I can remember, I was, like, obsessed with movies, basically, yeah.
3. 14:28 – 20:43

   Starting comedy

   1. SRSeth Rogen14:28

      yeah, and I did pretty well. I, I placed pretty well in the, in the competition. I was okay. I was pretty good at standup comedy. Like, it, it, it was, uh, yeah.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett14:35

      Do you remember the instance where Jerry Seinfeld sh- showed up?

   3. SRSeth Rogen14:38

      Yes, I do. I, I came... That was actually, I was auditioning to get into the Just for Laughs Festival in Los Angeles. And I show up and it's during the day, which is not great. There's not that many people there. It's maybe, like, five o'clock. Not a good time to do standup comedy. I'm, like, 15 years old, and I fly, I flew in for this, you know? Um, there's comics going up and doing their thing. There's, like, the scout from the Just for Laughs Festival there. And, like, I'm about to go up, and I'm next, and the emcee's about to introduce me. And yeah, and someone comes over and they're like, "Jerry Seinfeld is about to show up and he's gonna go up instead of you." And I was like, "What?" I'm like, "I'm here to, for, I'm here to audition for this thing." And they're like, "Yeah. Well, he'll go up and then you'll go up after." And I'm like, "I've got to go up after Jerry Seinfeld?" (laughs) Uh, they're like, "Yes." And so he goes up. He, like, annih- I mean, he's a, it, his show is still on. Like, he's as famous as, as you can, as a comedy star as there is alive at that moment. And it's what you're hoping. It's like you go to a standup comedy club at that time hoping Jerry Seinfeld will come in. And then it happened. And these people, like, it's like they won the lottery. And he comes and he just, like, annihilates, and then he gets off stage, and then they're like, "And now, like, from Vancouver, 15-year-old Seth Rogen." And, uh, yeah, and I bombed horribly. Um, and I did not get into the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. (laughs)

   4. SBSteven Bartlett16:02

      (laughs)

   5. SRSeth Rogen16:02

      And I told Jerry Seinfeld that story, and he was, uh, completely uninterested. (laughs)

   6. SBSteven Bartlett16:08

      (laughs)

   7. SRSeth Rogen16:08

      He could've cared less. (laughs)

   8. SBSteven Bartlett16:11

      Is- It seems like a tough thing for a 15-year-old, a, a pretty horrific firing line for a 15-year-old to put themselves in, standup comedy.

   9. SRSeth Rogen16:19

      Yeah, I think part of it, honestly, was informed by, like, my ni- my overall, like, naivete to some degree. But I also, I... Yeah, I- I was, I was good enough at it that it instantly wasn't, like, a viscerally painful experience. You know what I mean? And it, it's probably... You know, I played some sports in high school. But it, it was probably a similar, I imagine it's a similar mentality where you're like, "Yeah, there's stakes to this and there's ups and downs to this, but overall, I'm good at it, and I seem to be moving, progressing in the right direction, so it's worth the, the stress of it in order to, to pursue it." You know? Um, and at times, it's phenomenal and as, as fun as you would hope anything would be, you know? Um, but also, honestly, what was more fun was at that time, me and Evan started to write Superbad. And that was, like, what I really loved doing. And, like, I liked doing standup comedy and writing standup jokes, but, like, I loved sitting with Evan and writing a movie. And to me that was, like... At the time, it's frustrating because you're like, "Will this ever get made? Is this pointless? Are we wasting our time? Is this just a silly pursuit?" But it was still... It was, I just loved it, you know?

   10. SBSteven Bartlett17:29

       There's this through line in all your sort of creative work often, which is about, like, making people laugh.

   11. SRSeth Rogen17:35

       Yep.

   12. SBSteven Bartlett17:36

       Have you ever figured out, like, why... You know, 'cause I've sat here with a lot of comedians. And I've, and it, and it, there always seems to be something about comedians where, I don't know, some instance when th- you know, maybe they were younger or some kind of inspiration in their life which made them somewhat compelled to... And, and en- and almost en- energized by the pursuit of making other people laugh and happy. Have you ever... Does that resonate with you and have you ever identified where that comes from in you, that pursuit of making people laugh and happy?

   13. SRSeth Rogen18:03

       Um, I think for me, I don't, I, I don't, like, I think some comedians have, like, a dark origin story. You know what I mean?

   14. SBSteven Bartlett18:14

       Mm-hmm.

   15. SRSeth Rogen18:14

       Um, I don't.You know, um, I think for me it was like something I liked and something I was good at. And something that I was very, like, encouraged and, and fostered to do from a very young age. And I was lucky enough to find another guy my age (laughs) who was as good at it as I was, and as interested, uh, at, at doing it as I was. Which is, like, miraculous. Like, I had a lot of, like, you know, I read part of that Malcolm Gladwell book, and I'm not, you know, (laughs) about the, uh-

   16. SBSteven Bartlett18:52

       Ah, nice.

   17. SRSeth Rogen18:54

       ... (laughs) about, you know, the miraculous kind of set of circumstances that it takes to become, like, remotely successful in this terrible world of ours. You know what I mean? And like, I think it was things, like my parents were big comedy fans, so I saw comedy from a very young age. I'm from Canada, which is like a place that acclaims comedy and respects comedy, so culturally I'm like from a place where comedy is like, you know, a relevant part of the culture, you know. Um, Canadians, some of their biggest, like, exports are comedians and comedy shows. Lorne Michaels is Canadian. You know, SCTV. You know, a lot of, uh, great, uh, some of the greatest comedians of all time are, are Canadian, you know. Um, and so it, it's something that was always kind of just always a part of like the DNA of being a Canadian person, I think to some degree as well. Also, I'm from Vancouver where they made movies. Not to say it's like I grew up in Hollywood, but like, they, you would see movie sets around. You would see, I went to a high school, they shot some movies at the high school 'cause it was a very, like, cinematic-looking high school. So you would see trucks and stuff like that. I didn't know anyone who worked in the entertainment industry, but like, you kind of would see it around. So it, it made it a little more obtainable than if we lived like in the middle of fucking nowhere and it just seemed like completely abstract. You know what I mean? So I think that, I think that, like, my path is honestly one of like being supported (laughs) and l- and being, and working hard and being, uh, very diligent, but also like having an environment that kinda like bolstered my ambition. You know what I mean?

   18. SBSteven Bartlett20:30

       Mm-hmm.

   19. SRSeth Rogen20:31

       Um, yeah.

   20. SBSteven Bartlett20:31

       16 years old, you, you get a part in Freaks and Geeks.

   21. SRSeth Rogen20:34

       Yeah.

   22. SBSteven Bartlett20:35

       And that brings you to LA with your family.

   23. SRSeth Rogen20:37

       Yeah. (laughs)

   24. SBSteven Bartlett20:39

       What? Y- y- your entire family came to LA?

   25. SRSeth Rogen20:42

       Well, my parents.

   26. SBSteven Bartlett20:42

       Your parents.

   27. SRSeth Rogen20:42

       My sister

4. 20:43 – 26:26

   Moving to Hollywood

   1. SRSeth Rogen20:43

      was in college, yeah. (laughs)

   2. SBSteven Bartlett20:45

      And, uh, I read that they had lost their jobs at around that time.

   3. SRSeth Rogen20:49

      Yes.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett20:49

      And that made you the sole breadwinner in the house.

   5. SRSeth Rogen20:51

      Basically, yes. (laughs)

   6. SBSteven Bartlett20:54

      Well, did that feel like pressure?

   7. SRSeth Rogen20:56

      Um-

   8. SBSteven Bartlett20:57

      Being 16 years old and being the breadwinner for your house b- because your parents had lost their jobs.

   9. SRSeth Rogen21:00

      In a way it felt like an alleviation of pressure because after six... I remember my dad telling me (laughs) like after, after like three months or six months of being on Freaks and Geeks, he's like, "You've made more money in this time than I've made my entire life put together." So like, uh, like, i- i- if anything was like an amazing alleviation (laughs) of, uh, of a weight, 'cause there was money all of the sudden. For the first time in our lives, m- m- things could be paid for e- easily, you know? And so I was more than happy to provide for everybody because I suddenly had access to an amount of money that was like absurd compared to the amount of money I grew up with access to, or anyone in my family grew up with, with access to, you know?

   10. SBSteven Bartlett21:53

       Your work ethic, which I've read about over and over again throughout your book and throughout various interviews you've done, seems to be pretty spectacular. And one of the quotes that I read is, "If there were any kind of dark driving force behind, um, your early ambitions," quote, "it would be some sense of financial s- insecurity."

   11. SRSeth Rogen22:11

       Yeah, probably. (laughs) But that, that's gone, (laughs) which is maybe why I don't make as many things as I used to. (laughs)

   12. SBSteven Bartlett22:22

       That's an, that's a, that's an interesting journey to go on, being driven by having that s- sort of financial insecurity, uh, developing a real sort of-

   13. SRSeth Rogen22:30

       Yeah.

   14. SBSteven Bartlett22:30

       ... rela- strong relationship with work, and then that falling away.

   15. SRSeth Rogen22:34

       Yeah. And it fell away pretty fast, I think, honestly. Like, I think by the time I... You know, there was a point... So yeah, I was on Freaks and Geeks, uh, and then Undeclared, and then I didn't work for years. But by then, it felt like my parents were like incapable (laughs) of making enough money to survive on their own also. So like, once I had some money, like, they, it was just bonus money. You know what I mean?

   16. SBSteven Bartlett22:58

       Mm-hmm.

   17. SRSeth Rogen22:58

       Like, uh, part of what had happened is they lost their jobs and we lived in a house, so we sold our house in Vancouver and, and that's why everyone moved to LA. So there was like a little more money available 'cause we had sold our house. So like, it's not like my parents were like, just like a, you know, a, a leech on (laughs) uh, you know, they, they, they, they were able to like make a baseline level of like survivable income. So when I had more money i- it, it just, um, yeah, it kinda just added a, a, a cushion of comfort. And then there were times... Then they moved back to Canada, um, when I was like 18, and I was in LA, and that's around when I became unemployed for years and years. So I did then start to have (laughs) financial burden, but it was like a sole fi- you know, it was my own financial burden. And, and it was not, I did not feel like I was letting my whole family down or not, you know, providing for my whole family. It was more I just myself was like, "Oh, I might have to move, I might have to move back in with my family because I might not be able to afford to live in Los Angeles, uh, for longer 'cause I was unemployed for years," basically, yeah.

   18. SBSteven Bartlett23:59

       You were unemployed for years and years-

   19. SRSeth Rogen24:00

       Yeah.

   20. SBSteven Bartlett24:01

       ... um, after th- that, that first role on Freaks and Geeks?

   21. SRSeth Rogen24:04

       Yeah, we did Freaks and Geeks and then we did this show called Undeclared that was on Fox in 2000-

   22. SBSteven Bartlett24:07

       Yeah.

   23. SRSeth Rogen24:07

       ... 2001, and then, then I basically didn't work for like three years essentially, yeah. (laughs)

   24. SBSteven Bartlett24:13

       What's going through your, w- y- you know, you're prob- presumably doing auditions and stuff like that.

   25. SRSeth Rogen24:16

       Yeah.

   26. SBSteven Bartlett24:16

       Does it ever, like what's that phase like of unemployment? Most people quit at that point. That's the point where you say, "Fuck this."

   27. SRSeth Rogen24:23

       That didn't even occur to me. I, I, u-I did not, um... I was pre- getting, I was pretty kind of had, like, a chip on my shoulder (laughs) , uh, to some degree. I was writing a lot still, you know. Um, we were still... That's probably when we wrote Pineapple Express, you know, so we had finished Superbad. No one wanted to make it (laughs) , um, (coughs) but we thought it was good, so we kind of put it on the shelf. We're like, "Let's write another movie," um, and then we wrote, uh, Pineapple Express. So, we were busy and we thought it was awesome and we thought both the movies were awesome. And in general, we were also getting, like, very positive feedback as writers. We just weren't getting, like, hired to do anything and no one would make our movies (laughs) . So, it was, it, it was this weird mixture of k- things kind of being, like, encouraging and a- and very frustrating at the same time. And, and, and that's almost, like, the worst part about kind of being in that part of your career, which is the part of the career most people who live in Hollywood are in, which is one where it's like, any given phone call is one that is, like, making your fucking life or one that is, uh, yet another door slamming in your face that you have to, like, just suck up and keep moving forward. You know what I mean? And, and so that, that's happening a lot at that time, um... Yeah, and seeing your friends also start to do very well and start to (laughs) make things, you know. That is, uh, it's very encouraging in some ways, but you inherently get very jealous and you start to doubt yourself and you start to doubt if you are good enough to, um, do it, or if anyone will ever, like, see in your s- see in you what you see in yourself, you know? Um, but yeah, i- it's, you know... Though it's pretty warm in L- in LA usually, so it's easy to just hang out and keep plugging along (laughs) .

   28. SBSteven Bartlett26:14

       What's your, um... You used the word "doubt" yourself there. What's your journey been with, been with self-doubt? People would obviously look at you and assume that you have zero self-doubt because you've been so successful in what you've done.

   29. SRSeth Rogen26:25

       Um,

5. 26:26 – 29:14

   Self-doubt

   1. SRSeth Rogen26:26

      I think, I think all creative people and people who have creative pursuits in their life have self-doubt. Like, i- it's impossible to put yourself out there, I think, from my experience and from meeting all the creative people I've met in my life, from people who, you know, it's their first day on set, uh, j- you know and, and they have one line, to Steven Spielberg. They all have self-doubt. They're all worried people won't like what they're doing, that people are gonna think it's stupid, that they're gonna think they're stupid for wanting to do it, that they're gonna just reject it and, and, and by proxy, reject them. You know? Um, that is like, that is, from my experience, pretty constant across the board for all creative types who genuinely, like, care about what they do (laughs) . I'm sure there are some people who technically, like, are maybe actors or something and, and do not have any of that, but they're probably not very good and don't care that much about what they do. You know what I mean?

   2. SBSteven Bartlett27:30

      Mm-hmm.

   3. SRSeth Rogen27:30

      Um, but in general, from my experience, I would say that applies to, to creative people, is self-doubt. And, and for me, it's... It comes in waves, you know? You have a, you make a thing everyone likes, gets a little better. You make a thing everyone fucking hates, it gets a little worse (laughs) , uh, you know? It... You know? And, and, uh, and that's a part of also doing what you know I do, is like, you get... You know, like there... You know, it's, it's like... You know. I've, uh... It's funny, I was saying to someone I work with the other day, like, "I'm not... I'm at the point..." It's funny, in my career, where like, not a lot of people are in a position to, like, yell at me in my job. But, like, The New York Times will, like, publish an entire article, like, saying I, I suck at my job (laughs) . And so, like, that's the trade-off. Is like, I've worked my way up to not having to deal with that much, like, personal conflict and face-to-face conflict, but I will have, like, a, just like (laughs) a cultural institution tell everyone that I suck (laughs) , you know? And so, that, that's kind of like... That, that will add self-doubt, uh, things like that, you know. Um, and, uh, yeah. And so, i- i- it's... For me, it's, for me, something that's present, but it... I, I try not to let it stop me from doing the things that I think are interesting and, and, uh, and the things that I think I would enjoy watching, you know? Um...

   4. SBSteven Bartlett28:54

      Has it ever hurt you?

   5. SRSeth Rogen28:55

      Oh, yeah. Uh, I mean... What? Like, uh, what? Self-doubt? I'd say a lack of self-doubt has maybe hurt me at times (laughs) .

   6. SBSteven Bartlett29:03

      No, no. I mean, like, the, the criticism. Like, someone

   7. NANarrator29:05

      talks about-

   8. SRSeth Rogen29:05

      Oh, yeah. Of course it hurts everyone. Yes, very much so. Um, I think if most critics knew how

6. 29:14 – 38:07

   Criticism

   1. SRSeth Rogen29:14

      much it hurt the people that, uh, that made the things that they are writing about, uh, they would second guess the (laughs) the way they write these things. Like, it's devastating. It takes year... I know people who never recover from it, honestly. Years, year, decades of, of being hurt by... 'Cause it's very personal, you know? I- it's not like... It's not... It, it is personal, you know? Um, and so it is devastating when you are being, like, institutionally told that your personal expression was bad. Like, that is, like, devastating, you know? And something that people carry with them, uh, literally their entire lives. And, and I get why. It fucking sucks (laughs) .

   2. SBSteven Bartlett29:59

      You know, I read a... I was reading through various moments in your life where, I mean, you've had back to back to back successes, so it's hard to find something

   3. NANarrator30:06

      (laughs)

   4. SRSeth Rogen30:06

      (laughs)

   5. SBSteven Bartlett30:08

      ... categorize as a-

   6. SRSeth Rogen30:08

      That's definitely not true (laughs) .

   7. SBSteven Bartlett30:10

      No, you have. You seem to... I mean, uh, from the bird's eye view, you look at your work, your portfolio, and you go, "This is a-"

   8. SRSeth Rogen30:14

      I've, I've been trending well, but (laughs) -

   9. SBSteven Bartlett30:15

      Yeah, you've been trending well. The thing you talk about and you've, you've spoken about in interviews is, is Green Hornet, where-

   10. SRSeth Rogen30:21

       Yeah.

   11. SBSteven Bartlett30:21

       ... you got, you received some critical reviews for that. Can you zoom me... If I was a fly on the wall in one of those moments where you've received... That feedback is coming in and it's coming in, you know, critically-What, what would I see if I was a fly on the wall in your home? Like, what are y- does it... Do you stay in your bed? Do you... You're like... What's the i- the, the human impact it has on you?

   12. SRSeth Rogen30:41

       It's different things, and I think there's different... You know, and, and that's another funny thing about making movies is, like, and having, like, and just being, like, a person who works a lot is, like, life goes on. Like, you could be making another movie as your movie is bombing, which is a funny thing 'cause i- it's, it's bittersweet, 'cause, like, you, you know that things will be okay. You're already, you're already working, you know what I mean?

   13. SBSteven Bartlett31:07

       Mm-hmm.

   14. SRSeth Rogen31:07

       If the fear is the movie bombs and you won't get hired again, well, you don't have to worry about that. You're already ... you've been hired. It's too late, you know? Um, but it's an emotional (laughs) w- conundrum at times, just to, just dealing with that and navigating that, you know? Um, for Green Hornet, it's fine. Literally, yeah, like, the critics re- their, their reviews were coming out, and it was pretty bad, and people just kind of, like, hated it. Like, it seemed like a thing. People were just taking, like, joy in disliking a lot, you know what I mean? Um, but it was... It opened to, like, $35 million, which was like, I think at the time, the biggest opening weekend I'd ever been associated with in any capacity. And so, it was also like... It did pretty well. And that's... And it was a funny thing, where it really didn't... That one... And, and that's what's nice sometimes is, like, you, you do get, you know, you can grasp for some sense of success at times, you know? And, and, and, uh... But I honestly think things like The Interview were more, like, painful, uh, as far as, like, people really taking joy in talking shit about it (laughs) and, and, uh, and, uh, really kind of questioning, you know, the types of people that would want to make a movie like that in general. Like, I think, yeah, that felt far more personal. I think Green Hornet felt like I just had fallen victim to like... And which was true, like, like, you know, I, uh, a big fancy thing, which was like, I was super i-... And, and we were-

   15. SBSteven Bartlett32:34

       Mm-hmm.

   16. SRSeth Rogen32:34

       ... just kind of like, also, like, ahead of the curve a little bit too much, I think (laughs) , as well is something. Like, we were early on that, on that wave, you know? And so, I think that was easier to deal with in a lot of ways 'cause it was, like, not so much, like, a creative failure on our parts, but more like a conceptual failure. I think, uh, like, The Interview people more treated us like we had creatively failed (laughs) , uh, which sucked much worse. Uh, and that's happened a few times, yeah, where people really act like we've just, uh... And again, it's not th- I'm not gonna act like this is that bad. Like, this is not. On the grand scale of things in life, it's not that bad (laughs) , like, and I've gotten much better at dealing with it as well. And I think when I was younger, I really, like, did not have as much perspective as I do, and now, I am not. I do not carry it with me nearly as much as I used to, you know? Um, yeah.

   17. SBSteven Bartlett33:27

       W- it's, like, it is the center of your world, though, these things, because you've poured your creative heart into, into something。

   18. SRSeth Rogen33:33

       Mm-hmm.

   19. SBSteven Bartlett33:33

       So, it is you.

   20. SRSeth Rogen33:34

       Oh, yeah.

   21. SBSteven Bartlett33:34

       It's like, it's like, a-

   22. SRSeth Rogen33:34

       It feels like a personal rejection.

   23. SBSteven Bartlett33:36

       It's like-

   24. SRSeth Rogen33:36

       Very much.

   25. SBSteven Bartlett33:37

       ... attached to your self essence or something。

   26. SRSeth Rogen33:38

       Oh, yeah. It feels like a very personal rejection.

   27. SBSteven Bartlett33:41

       Which-

   28. SRSeth Rogen33:41

       And it doesn't a- and it doesn't feel, like, constructive (laughs) . It feels-

   29. SBSteven Bartlett33:45

       What's the, what's the human impact there? What's, like, the human...

   30. SRSeth Rogen33:47

       Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Sometimes you try, you try different things. Sometimes you go out to dinner where you just try to forget about it. Sometimes you sit there and watch movies. Sometimes you're literally just, like, sitting on the couch fucking pissed and devastated (laughs) , um, th- I've had different approaches. I used... Sometimes I would go to the beach. I, I u- used to have a house on the beach, and I would go to the beach the weekends my movies came out. Um, yeah, and, and, a- any opening weekend, honestly, and any time I have a thing coming out, it sucks 'cause it just is stressful. It's like birth, like, i- i- which is just an inherently painful process. Even though it is maybe bringing something beautiful into the world, it is a painful act, and I think that is, like, what releasing a movie is for the people who made it, is, like, in some ways, it's inherently painful, and, and in some ways, it's inherently beautiful and joyous. But in some ways, it's also just very painful (laughs) .
7. 38:07 – 40:22

   Life without films

   1. SBSteven Bartlett38:07

      not do it. Like-

   2. SRSeth Rogen38:08

      Oh, yeah.

   3. SBSteven Bartlett38:09

      ... y- so here's a question then. If I told you today that you could no longer make movies or do anything in the entertainment or creative space...

   4. SRSeth Rogen38:16

      That would be hard. I'd become a ceramicist. (laughs)

   5. SBSteven Bartlett38:19

      (laughs)

   6. SRSeth Rogen38:22

      Which I do spend a lot of time doing, so.

   7. SBSteven Bartlett38:23

      I know. I've read that you-

   8. SRSeth Rogen38:24

      (laughs)

   9. SBSteven Bartlett38:25

      It was a quite large-

   10. SRSeth Rogen38:26

       Yeah. It would be a real bummer, though. (laughs)

   11. SBSteven Bartlett38:29

       What would, what would actually your life be?

   12. SRSeth Rogen38:32

       Um, I mean, I wouldn't, it would, I could, I, I, it's tough to think of 'cause it is very, like, ingrained with who I am and, and what I do and, like, and it is, like, I could stop working. I have enough money to, if I didn't wanna keep working, I could, I could never work again and live the exact life I live now until I die. You know? Um, it, I have no kids. I have not, trying to leave generational wealth to anybody. Like (laughs) , "I'm gonna, I'm gonna s-" y'know? Like, we could just keep going. It, it, it, it's genuinely 'cause, like, I enjoy it, and it's, and it's a part of who I am and how I spend my day and, and what I love doing, and, and people generally seem to enjoy the output, which I enjoy and, and it seems to be additive to the creative landscape of film and television, the things that I get to be a part of, you know? And so, um, yeah, i- it's a- but it, I, it mostly comes down to I just like doing it. And so, it would be hard to think of what else I would do because, like, hon- like, I, I just write. I love, I enjoy writing, and I've been doing it since I, I've been writing, like, you know, screenplays since I was 12 years old (laughs) , you know? I'm 40. So it's like, it's so much a part of who I am that, like, I do it all the time. If I have, I'm generally working on a few things. If I'm making up a coffee and have five minutes, like, I'll, I'll write for a few minutes. Like, uh, you know, I, I, I genuinely enjoy it. So, it, it would be hard to imagine. I wouldn't, I don't know what I would do. (laughs)

   13. SBSteven Bartlett40:10

       You're, um, you have ADHD?

   14. SRSeth Rogen40:13

       I don't know. Maybe. (laughs)

   15. SBSteven Bartlett40:16

       (laughs) I mean, uh-

   16. SRSeth Rogen40:17

       I'm pretty good at focusing, honestly.

   17. SBSteven Bartlett40:19

       I read that, um, I read that you had Tourette's and ADHD.

   18. SRSeth Rogen40:21

       I do,

8. 40:22 – 42:52

   ADHD

   1. SRSeth Rogen40:22

      oh, yeah. I guess Tourette's, I mean, maybe I'm more Toure- yeah, I mean, uh, I, I, I, some Tourette's, like, yeah, some Tourette's, which is connected to ADHD.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett40:28

      Yeah.

   3. SRSeth Rogen40:28

      Yes, yeah.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett40:29

      What would, does that ever had a, any, a role in your life? Does, has it been causal at all?

   5. SRSeth Rogen40:35

      Um...

   6. SBSteven Bartlett40:36

      I don't fully understand Tourette's, if I'm com- being completely honest. I don't-

   7. SRSeth Rogen40:40

      Well, it's kind of, uh, connected to, like, a compulsion, uh, disorder, where you, it's like it, it, it manifests in, like, physical, uh, ticks and twitches. Um, the most extreme versions are, like, people, you know, screaming, like, you know, swear words and shit like that. But it all roots from, like, a compulsion to do it. Um, and, like, it's like scratching an itch. That's the best way I can describe it. I'm sure you've been sitting across from people who twitch or have a weird eyebrow thing they're doing or a weird thing they're doing. You know what I mean? And I see it so often, and that is, that is a mild case of Tourette syndrome. And I think so many people have it who are undiagnosed, and I know the exact feeling those people have when they are doing that. And it literally feels like you have an itch on your hand and you're scratching it, and it's the same thing from, like, a musculature, (laughs) like, movement standpoint. You feel like if you don't cock up your eyebrow, you're not scratching that itch. And when you do, you're like, "Oh, I did it." And-

   8. SBSteven Bartlett41:43

      And you have that?

   9. SRSeth Rogen41:45

      Uh, yeah, at times. I, for me, it was always pretty mild physically, but I still, it do- I, I feel the urge at times, but I'm very good at not doing it. (laughs)

   10. SBSteven Bartlett41:57

       As you might know, this show's now sponsored by Airbnb. Absolutely love Airbnb, always have, always been a... you know, saved my life on so many occasions. And my team, when we first got in touch with Airbnb, were talking about how most people don't realize that their place where they currently live could become an Airbnb. And I guess the second question there is, how much could your place be worth? And it turns out you could be sitting on an Airbnb goldmine without even knowing it. Some people Airbnb their entire homes when they're away. That's what I did in New York. Whenever I left New York, uh, my place was on Airbnb and people rented it out. Sometimes for a day, sometimes for two days, sometimes for a week, and it's a great way to cover some of the bills while you're away. So whether you're looking to go on holiday or you just want some extra cash for bills or you wanna buy something nice for a valentine that you love, whatever it might be, head over to airbnb.co.uk/host, and you can find out how much your current property where you live can earn while you're not there. I suspect it might blow your mind, 'cause it certainly blew mine.

9. 42:52 – 46:31

   What is it about you that's unique

   1. SBSteven Bartlett42:52

      (page flips) With, you know, all that success you've had, all those movies you named re- recently that y- you know, some of them w- of which are coming out soon, you know, I r- having spoken to you today, I get work ethic, I get your innate passion which seems to have been there since you were a child, but I, but there's people that have both of those things, and they're not Seth Rogen. You know what I mean? So, is there anything else, when you look back on your life, you talked about the circumstance, your mothers, your, you know, being around that culture. Is there anything about you in particular, a talent, and people find this hard to answer because it requires you to say something nice about yourself, but-

   2. SRSeth Rogen43:21

      (laughs)

   3. SBSteven Bartlett43:21

      ... and so celebrities often say, you know, they say, "Oh no, there's," you know. But is there any, what is it that makes you good at what you do?

   4. SRSeth Rogen43:28

      Um, I think I, I think, I think, ma- y- I honestly think because I grew up watching so many movies, um, and having parents that appreciated them, um, I, from a very young age, had an inherent understanding of cinematic story telling, of what, and that s- specifically from a writing standpoint, from how the movies were written. That is, for whatever reason, how my brain processed it. How the characters were introduced, how the conflicts between them were (laughs) set up, how they played out throughout the movie, how they resolved themselves or didn't resolve th- themselves throughout the movie, how they manifested in set pieces and sequences that exemplified the conflicts and the themes and the, and the, the tensions between the characters. For whatever reason, from a very young age, I was able to understand and write those things. And I, you know, I look back now as, like, a 40-year-old person who has produced and helped countless people with their screenplays and written countless screenplays. Like, there are things about, like, what we put into Superbad as, like, 14-year-olds that are, like, fundamentally functional and good in a way that is, like, beyond, uh, like, the average 14-year-old's ability, the average, the average writer's ability in a lot of ways. You know? Um, like, and, and that is something that me and Evan really just, we were lucky. (laughs) Like, we, we got it. And, and I think, honestly, as an actor, I mostly credit my ability to act as my, f- from, like, a writ- through a writing lens, and I think as an actor I understand what the story needs, I understand, I understand how that character needs to affect things, what that character needs to do in order for this story to be told effectively. I don't view my acting as internally as the other actors I work with. I, I know it, I see it, and I talk to 'em about it all the time. (laughs) I view it much more from, like, a big picture, like, okay, here's the role this character plays in the story. How do I make that work as well as it possibly could? You know? Um, and I can do it, so I- I have some performance ability, which not everyone does, but I think, I think (laughs) I am, I think my understanding of how story works kind of helps compensate for my v- the fact that I'm not the greatest actor (laughs) and that I am able to work with actors who are much better than I am, honestly. Um, but I think, if I had to answer that question, which I'm uncomfortable doing, (laughs) uh, that is how I would answer it, is, for whatever reason, me and I found a guy with the same skill, which is, like, miraculous, but like, from a young age, me and another guy had a very inherent sense of, like, how to write a movie, basically.

   5. SBSteven Bartlett46:30

      There's

10. 46:31 – 51:49

    Advice for creatives

    1. SBSteven Bartlett46:31

       a young creative listening to this now, sat in their bedroom or driving in their car or pushing their pram or walking their dog, whatever, and they, they're a creative in whatever industry, it could be DJing or, you know, author, they could be s- an actor.

    2. SRSeth Rogen46:41

       Yeah.

    3. SBSteven Bartlett46:43

       What is the actionable advice that you could give to them to, to, you know, give them a shot of, 'cause there's a lotta creatives out there that are struggling.

    4. SRSeth Rogen46:50

       Yeah.

    5. SBSteven Bartlett46:50

       And y- you, you would have had this bird's eye view on creators that end up being successful f- you know, in their careers, and those that maybe have the talent, but don't end up getting there. Is there anything actionable that you can say to them that would help them end up in the talented, successful group?

    6. SRSeth Rogen47:04

       Um, unfortunately, the only way to mitigate not being successful is to not quit. That's it. If you don't quit, you might make it. And if you quit, you definitely won't. (laughs) And, and honestly, (laughs) I think after all the years I've seen, people make it or not make it, the only common (laughs) denominator is, is that. Like, I've seen actors write themselves off, be like, "I'm never gonna fucking do this," try to get other jobs. One of my dear friends (laughs) who's an actor, he's been an actor for ... He's a great actor, a brilliant actor, and his career ebbs and flows, comes and goes. He'll star in a TV show for a few years. He won't work for two years. He went and tried to get a job at, like, a car dealership one day, and I was like, "What are you doing, man?" (laughs) Like, and he's like, "I, I, I can't. I quit acting. No one's gonna fucking hire me again. I'm unhireable." Now, he's like, m- w- like, the star of the most successful play on Broadway (laughs) right now. (laughs) And, like, because he just got this role, uh, a couple of years after that. And he's in, uh, o- one of the biggest movies that's coming out next year, he's in it. Like, and, and, and it's because he didn't actually quit. He, he kept going. You know? And it's not, uh, you know, especially Hollywood, it's not a fair industry. It, it is not fair who makes it. It i- the best people don't make it, you know? It's very luck oriented. It's very (laughs) connections oriented. Um, I'm lucky, like, and I also worked hard and thank God I, you know, have am, am a good enough writer that I've been able to have enough longevity in my career once I got lucky.Like, a lot of luck played into my success, you know? But that being said, I've seen people get lucky very l- at random times through random ways. I always think about, like, Ian McKellen. Like, did y- had you heard of him before he was 65 years old? Like, that guy, I d- like, as- I had never fucking heard the words "Ian McKellen" until he was Magneto in X-Men. Then all of a sudden, he's, like, in Lord of the Rings. He's, li- one of the most famous people on Earth. He got famous when he's, like, 60. Like, like, eh, that's what happens to people sometimes. You know what I mean? It, it's like you never know, you know? And so, I think that is, is what's interesting, is... And if you like it, then just don't quit. And, eh, as long as you have enough to survive, then just keep trying to do it, you know?

    7. SBSteven Bartlett49:41

       But there's gotta be something that I could do to increase my luck.

    8. SRSeth Rogen49:43

       Be- be really good at it. (laughs)

    9. SBSteven Bartlett49:46

       (laughs)

    10. SRSeth Rogen49:47

        I think making, being nice, honestly, being nice, being the type of person people wanna be around, that people like, that people, if it comes down to it, wanna help instead of not help, that is very good. Like, I've seen that just if people don't like being around you, then, then, then you will fail because you need other people to help you succeed, you know? Um, working hard is, like, something you can control in a very uncontrollable world, I find. And like, um, you know, it's funny. I was meeting with, uh, someone recently who, like, ascended very high in Hollywood, and she was like, "I always fetishized hard work. Like, to me, that was, like, it. Like, i- i- i- like, if you weren't working hard, I, like, had no regard for you," basically (laughs) . "And, like, and to me, that was like..." And, and that's a good reminder of, like, those are the people you're up against. And that was something that I always knew from a young age, was like, I, I don't consider myself a competitive person, but I knew succeeding in Hollywood w- it was inherently a competitive pursuit. There's only so many jobs, and there's way more motherfuckers trying to get their job, those jobs, than there are jobs available. So, by the nature of that, I was competing with people for these jobs, and I knew I had to be able to look at myself and be like, "Am I at least working harder than everyone else who is competing for this job?" I might not be better than them or smarter than them or have as many connections as them or be as good-looking as them or any of these things, but I can at least work harder than them, you know? Um, and that, to me, was something that was, like, controllable, and I've never seen someone regret the amount of hard work they put into (laughs) their pursuit. And so, you know, that, that is something that will help you succeed, I think.

11. 51:49 – 54:17

    Not having kids

    1. SRSeth Rogen51:49

    2. SBSteven Bartlett51:49

       Has... Y- y- you reference how you don't have any kids.

    3. SRSeth Rogen51:51

       I do not. That has helped me succeed as well. (laughs) Definitely.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett51:57

       Really?

    5. SRSeth Rogen51:58

       Oh, yeah. Uh, there's a whole huge thing I'm not doing, which is raising children. (laughs)

    6. SBSteven Bartlett52:07

       (laughs) Would it... People, obviously, someone would be listening, "But yeah, but it'll make you happier." You know, someone might say that. I'm trying to rebuttal.

    7. SRSeth Rogen52:13

       I don't think it would. I've been around, obviously, a lot of children. I'm not, I'm not ignorant to what it's like to... I've (laughs) , I've seen... Everyone I know has kids. (laughs) I, I see... I'm a f- you know, I'm 40 again, you know? Like, it's not... I, I know, you know? I've, I've... Some of my friends have had kids for decades, you know? Um, some people want kids, some people don't want kids. I think a lot of people have kids before they even think about it, from what I've seen. Honestly, you just are told, "You go through life, you get married, you have kids." It's what happens. Um, and, and me and my wife, we're just... Neither of us were like that, you know? And, um, honestly, the older we get, the more (laughs) happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids. Like, it was something we kind of talked about more, and we were like, "Are we... Have we made the right choice? Are we sure?" Now, if, more than anything, the conversation is like, "Honestly, thank God we don't have children. We get to do whatever we want. We are in our, we are (laughs) , we are in the, the prime of our lives. We are smarter than we've ever been. We understand ourselves more than we ever have. We have the capacity to achieve a level of work and a level of communication and care for one another and a lifestyle we can live with one another that we've never been able to live before. And we can just do that, and we don't have to raise a child, which the, the world does not need right now." (laughs) And so, that was... And so yeah, it's, uh, we're, we're very happy, uh (laughs) , with our choice to not have kids, and I just, I work, I, I, I work with a lot of people with kids, and I see definitively that I, uh, have more time to both do the things I need to do and the things I enjoy doing than they do. (laughs) And not to say their kids don't bring them joy, but I- I say this truthfully. I- I- I- I... Me and my wife seem to get a lot more active enjoyment out of not having kids than anyone I know seems to get out of having kids.

12. 54:17 – 1:01:59

    Alzheimers

    1. SRSeth Rogen54:17

       (laughs)

    2. SBSteven Bartlett54:18

       Speaking of your wonderful wife...

    3. SRSeth Rogen54:19

       Yes. (laughs)

    4. SBSteven Bartlett54:20

       Um, in my very extensive research, I found a series of photos. I found this one.

    5. SRSeth Rogen54:24

       Yes! That's my wife, Lauren.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett54:26

       Exceptionally beautiful.

    7. SRSeth Rogen54:26

       She's lovely.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett54:27

       And I found this one.

    9. SRSeth Rogen54:30

       Yes! That's Lauren and her mother. That's a great photo. Wow, it's like a real photo.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett54:35

        It's a real photo. Yeah.

    11. SRSeth Rogen54:36

        (laughs) Where'd you get this? (laughs)

    12. SBSteven Bartlett54:38

        (laughs) Internet.

    13. SRSeth Rogen54:40

        That's amazing. Yes, this is Lauren and her mother, Adele, who passed away a few years ago. Yeah.

    14. SBSteven Bartlett54:45

        You've campaigned exceptionally hard for Alzheimer's following, um, Adele's diagnosis.

    15. SRSeth Rogen54:50

        Yeah.

    16. SBSteven Bartlett54:50

        Can you tell me about that journey?

    17. SRSeth Rogen54:52

        Yeah, definitely. Um, you know what's funny is like a celebrity, I guess, like...You know, I... You're kind of asked to do a lot of charity things and find, like, a cause, I think, you know? And there's, I think there's pressure to find a cause, and I think a lot of people adopt causes that are not organic to them and who they are-

    18. SBSteven Bartlett55:09

        (laughs)

    19. SRSeth Rogen55:09

        ... and, and they kind of find themselves, you know, uh, in the midst of a cause. And, and, um, and that had happened to me in the past. I would go to some charity events and I always felt very out of, uh, touch with it and, and didn't really understand it. And, um, then, uh, I met my wife and, um, and this is in regards to the charity, but also in regards to just our relationship. I'd never been in a serious relationship ever in my life, really. Like, a few months here and there I'd, I'd dated, but never. And in, uh, like, 2005 I started dating my wife, Lauren, and she was the first serious relationship I ever had. Um, and very soon after we started dating is when she realized her mother seemed to be showing the first signs of Alzheimer's. And I knew nothing about that. It really... It was not in my family, um, and, and what I didn't understand is like, oh, it was a disease that had like no treatment, no cure, it was only going to steadily get worse until she died from it. Which was, uh, uh, truly devastating and put me and my wife on like a pretty intense journey for the next, you know, uh, 15 years or so (laughs) , basically. Um, and, uh, it, it really, uh, it really took a lot out of us and my wife especially, you know? Um, uh, Lauren felt very out of control and very devastated and really scrambling for like a outlet and a way to gain some kind of agency over the situation. Um, yeah, and our friend, uh, suggested we do a comedy show and maybe give the money to, like, an Alzheimer's charity and we did and it went very well and my wife started telling her story as a, a young woman whose mother was in her 50s and diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And it was really not a thing, like, anyone was talking about it all. And she found there was, like, an enormous need for people to connect with someone who was going through this because a lot of people were going through it and really no one was talking about it. And, um, we very... We kind of found, like, a need for this organization that we made, HFC, which, um, became like, you know, an Alzheimer's charity that really was like focused on talking to young people, um, many of whom were caretakers for their parents with Alzheimer's, you know? And, and again, it was just a thing. It's a very stigmatized disease and not a disease very many people are comfortable talking about at all. And, uh, yeah. And Lauren, as her mother progressed more and more, just talked about it more and more and, uh, and it really, um, yeah, kind of made our charity more and more prominent in the space and, um, yeah, has allowed us to do kind of more and more things to help people.

    20. SBSteven Bartlett57:53

        You say people don't talk about it enough and part of that is, results in people thinking about Alzheimer's as just losing your keys or forgetting a sentence or something.

    21. SRSeth Rogen58:00

        Yeah.

    22. SBSteven Bartlett58:01

        Um, what is the reality of u- Alzheimer's as you've observed it?

    23. SRSeth Rogen58:05

        Well, it's different for everyone, but i- it's inherently, for my mother-in-law, like, she forgot how to speak, how to go to the bathroom, how to talk, uh, I mean how to eat, how to walk, um, and was essentially, like, you know, uh, someone you would move from the bed to the wheelchair, force-feed essentially, you move back to the bed. She was like that for like seven years or something like that. I, I think she didn't s- uh, and again, I'm bad with years, she didn't speak for several years. Um, and, and it was, yeah, if you saw her you wouldn't assume it was dementia or Alzheimer's. You would assume she had some like horrific stroke or something like that. It was not, it was not what I (laughs) understood a, like cognitive decline could, could cause, you know? Um, it was far more devastating and, and yeah, and I think, uh, people don't understand how kind of dire it is. Or they do understand and they just, again, don't like talking about it because it's really scary and people are weird about their brains, mental health obviously, in America especially people are very weird about... Not a thing they like talking about. Um, and so yeah, it kind of taps into a lot of things people are just scared of in general .

    24. SBSteven Bartlett59:20

        What toll does that have on the people around her like yourself and your, your wife?

    25. SRSeth Rogen59:25

        Um, I mean it was just devastating for my wife especially. Like, it was, uh, truly one of the, the most upsetting thing you could imagine is like very slowly seeing your mother die over the course of years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years. You know? Um, it, uh, yeah, I mean it caused, uh, uh, uh... Yeah, it was, it was very grim, you know? Um, but through the charity, you know, there was a lot of like kind of hope that came up at times and a lot of like, uh, you know, kind of like wonderful things that it felt like we were able to do as a result of it. So there was kind of bittersweet moments, but in general it was terrible.

    26. SBSteven Bartlett1:00:09

        Was that, is that, has that been one of the hardest times of your, um, last couple of decades for you? That, that process?

    27. SRSeth Rogen1:00:15

        Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, yeah. Especially, you know, being married to someone who is going through something incredibly traumatic, um, is, yeah, is, is, is you know, it's hard for them and it's hard for you to know how to support them properly and, and how to, you know, navigate their feelings in a, you know, uh, productive (laughs) and loving way, you know? Um, and it's obviously much harder for them, um, and, uh, you know, it, it, it is, uh... But yeah, it's a, it's a... It can be hard for everybody.

    28. SBSteven Bartlett1:00:55

        Adele passed away 2020.

    29. SRSeth Rogen1:00:57

        Yeah.

    30. SBSteven Bartlett1:00:59

        What impact does that have on... The family?
13. 1:01:59 – 1:05:18

    Mental health

    1. SRSeth Rogen1:01:59

       way, you know?

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:00

       You mentioned Americans don't like talking about their mental health.

    3. SRSeth Rogen1:02:02

       Yeah.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:03

       Or really anything cognitive-

    5. SRSeth Rogen1:02:04

       (laughs) No.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:05

       ... related to their cognitive functions.

    7. SRSeth Rogen1:02:06

       Yeah.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:06

       I've never heard you speak about your mental health.

    9. SRSeth Rogen1:02:09

       (laughs) I, uh, I don't, I don't think it's that interesting. (laughs)

    10. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:13

        (laughs)

    11. SRSeth Rogen1:02:13

        That might be why. (laughs)

    12. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:15

        Have you ever had anxiety?

    13. SRSeth Rogen1:02:17

        Uh, not really. Not more than the average, you know.

    14. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:20

        I often think that cr- I often think that, that, uh, creatives over-index with anxiety for kind of some of the reasons we talked about earlier.

    15. SRSeth Rogen1:02:26

        Yeah, I don't... I think I have anxiety, but it, I, I also am constantly reminding... I'm good, I think, at analyzing my own feelings and behavior to some degree. I do have anxiety sometimes, but I'm also having to remind myself that I am, like, going through things that are objectively anxiety-inducing to almost anyone, and I would probably be weird if I wasn't feeling some sort of anxiety (laughs) with the amount of public-facing, uh, pressure, uh, and exposure I have at times. Um, so you just tell yourself, like, "Yeah, you feel, you ha- this is, you are feeling anxious right now because you are dealing with this thing, that it has a lot of (laughs) public pressure on it," you know? Um, so I think in general... No, in general, I have pretty good mental health, I think. (laughs) Ask the people who work with me. (laughs)

    16. SBSteven Bartlett1:03:18

        (laughs) It's, it's an un- it seems like an unhuman way to live, right? Being in the spotlight and being, being, um, receptable to so much public feedback, like, you talked about how shoes are kind of unnatural-

    17. SRSeth Rogen1:03:27

        (laughs)

    18. SBSteven Bartlett1:03:28

        ... and roofs are unnatural. There's, the way that we all live these days seem to be so far from what is, what it is to be a human.

    19. SRSeth Rogen1:03:34

        Yeah.

    20. SBSteven Bartlett1:03:36

        Wh- what can we, like- (laughs)

    21. SRSeth Rogen1:03:38

        (laughs)

    22. SBSteven Bartlett1:03:38

        ... what, what do we need to do, do you think, to get back to being a little bit more human?

    23. SRSeth Rogen1:03:43

        Um, I don't know. I don't know if I'm the best person to ask that to you, (laughs) but I, uh, I personally have tried to spend less time on social media. I think that is, uh, a good thing. I, I don't think that contributes to one's humanity necessarily. (laughs) Um, I, uh-

    24. SBSteven Bartlett1:04:03

        What are the things that make you feel most human, then? And most connected?

    25. SRSeth Rogen1:04:07

        Um, I think spending time with my loved ones, my, my wife, my, you know, my, my, my dog, my, my, my sister, my family, my, my parents, you know, my friends, going to dinner with my friends, going to their houses, hanging out with my friends. I, I, even though I don't have kids, I enjoy, I enjoy going to my friends' house and hanging out with them and their kids, you know? (laughs) Um, you know, writing with, being creative with my friends, doing things with my friends, making things with people that I respect and the, the feeling that I'm a part of making something that I am excited about and that I think is really good, um, that is r- I, I, again, for me, that's, like, those are the moments where I feel like I am personally, like, living up to my potential, you know? And, and feeling like... And, and, and it is about the other people even at times when it is work-related, you know? And I, and I do think, you know, uh, the connections that you make with people, even when they are creative, are, are relevant and important, you know? And, um, and so, yeah, I think, uh, those are the things that I, like, I value, is like, personal relationships and, and creative ones, which I also view as personal.

14. 1:05:18 – 1:09:29

    What gets you excited these days?

    1. SRSeth Rogen1:05:18

       (laughs)

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:05:19

       You've done, you've done so much in the, in the space of writing and, um, and entertainment. You've then embarked on other pursuits, businesses, you know, Point Grey-

    3. SRSeth Rogen1:05:27

       Mm-hmm.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:05:27

       ... huge success. Houseplant, massive success. That's in a different industry. That's in, you know, the more entrepreneurial side of your, your passions. What is it, what is it now for you? Like, what is the, the thing? What makes you, having achieved all of this, fired up and excited about a challenge?

    5. SRSeth Rogen1:05:44

       Um, I get excited when I... And it's, it's the, it's a simple metric, I think, (laughs) which is anytime we're making a thing that I know I would be psyched if I saw it or got it or saw it was out in the world, I get excited. Like, a- and, and that's kind of it. Like, if I'm making a movie and I'm like, "I would love this movie. I would see this movie and be like, 'This is fucking great. Whoever made this movie, like, fuck, they went for it. They did it. Uh, I'd be jealous I didn't make this movie.'" That's when I know I'm doing something good, and it's the same thing with Houseplant. If we make a thing and I'm just like, "This is awesome. If I saw this, I would want this. If I saw someone else made this, I'd be like, 'Fuck, why didn't we think of that? Why didn't we make this? W- what were we, why were we not thinking of this?'" You know? Um, that, to me, and, and then when we do it and we're like, "We did it," and we, and it works as well as you wanted to and it feels how you wanted it to, to me, that's like, it's exciting, and it, 'cause it is a, a creative, uh, expression. And, and, and I think that's what's exciting to any, again, I think person with, like, a creative pursuit, which I view Houseplant as, and I kind of view everything as to some degree, which is like, it's all output that is meant to reflect my taste and my sensibilities and, and those, and that of those who were working on it with me, you know? Um, and, and that could be a movie, it could be a TV show, it could be an ashtray, it could be, it could be any number of things. But, but to me, when I'm excited about it and, and when it works is when I really think it is...... the thing that I wanted it to be, which is a thing that I'm excited about and a thing that if I saw it and someone else made it, I'd be like, "Yes, that's awesome." You know? Um, and that's the same thing since we've been writing Superbad. Like, that's why we wrote Superbad. We were like, "Let's write our favorite movie. Let's write the movie that we want to see and no one else is making." And it was the same thing with Pineapple Express, This Is The End, and The Boys was a comic book we loved and we were like, "Let's make this. No one else is gonna fuckin'... Let's make this into something." You know? Um, it's the same thing with everything that we've done for the most part, which is like, "Let's make the thing we want more than anything."

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:07:52

       Why not make the thing that you think other people will want?

    7. SRSeth Rogen1:07:55

       'Cause who the fuck knows what other people want? (laughs) And I think luckily, that's a thing we've been lucky with, is like, either our taste and the public's taste has coincided or, or the public has been willing to take cues from our taste and, and, and, and, and bite to, to what we're putting out there. You know what I mean? Um, which is, which is, uh, just, uh, uh, an almost intangible skill, I think, to some degree, which is just making things that connect with people in a big way, and that's not even what every creative person is trying to do. You know what I mean? I know plenty of filmmakers, uh, some of my favorite movies are movies that are not trying to, uh, connect with giant audiences, you know what I mean? But, those are the movies we grew up loving and to us, that's a fun challenge, is like how do we put everything that we think is, like, risky and subversive and difficult about this idea into something and then have it connect and then have everyone go crazy for it, and have everyone be like, "Yes." Like, "I can't wait to see that." You know? Um, and that, uh, that's just our taste, you know what I mean? Is we like to, we're thinking of, like, a packed theater, Friday night, and just wanting people to, like, go bonkers, you know? And, like, that's not everyone's goal, you know? And so, that, that, that's a big part of it too, is like, what kinda audience are you, are you hoping to have?

15. 1:09:29 – 1:15:56

    Your creative process

    1. SRSeth Rogen1:09:29

       (laughs) You know?

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:09:30

       When people, y- you know, study people like you, they're always looking for, like, the, the themes. Like, what's the three things he does that are, you know, when, like, they're trying to find the, like, the secrets and whatever else. They do that, they, "Oh, what's his morning routine?" Whatever else. Um, your creative process, what is, from your own observation, the most unusual part of it?

    3. SRSeth Rogen1:09:47

       Uh-

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:09:47

       The part w- that you go, "No one else seems to do it this way, but fuck it."

    5. SRSeth Rogen1:09:50

       Uh, I, I tend to be able to work on a f- not, not everyone, and I work with a lot... I'm lucky also 'cause I get to work with a lot of, like, literally, like, the most brilliant people in the world who do what I do. So, I have a very front row seat to, like, an incredibly high level of performance, (laughs) you know?

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:11

       Mm-hmm.

    7. SRSeth Rogen1:10:11

       Um, on a writing standpoint, acting standpoint, directing standpoint, all these things I'm getting to see, like, uh, truly the best versions of it. You know? Um, but I think, you know, for me, I, I am, I am good at switching gears and compartmentalizing. I find some writers maybe would think that is strange, and, and the idea of, like, writing two things a, two different things in one day would be strange to some writers. The idea of, like, "Okay, I'm gonna write one TV show in the morning and then a movie in the afternoon." I think that, but again, to me, it's very intuitive. Some writers find switching gears creatively, especially midday, difficult. I, I can work on five different things throughout the day and whenever I'm working on whatever thing it is, I'm pretty able to, like, fully engage on that thing. Um, I, I physically write more than I think most people do.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:12

       With a pen?

    9. SRSeth Rogen1:11:12

       No, with, uh, on a keyboard.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:14

        On a keyboard.

    11. SRSeth Rogen1:11:14

        But, like, I find a lot of writers wanna talk about, like, uh, to me, I'm like, "Just write it. Let's just write it. Let's just see how it looks. Let's just try it. Just w- write it down." Like, and I think a lot of people are precious with writing and a lot of people, you know, it's like a big, they kind of, like, th- they try to, like, it's very, like, sanctimonious or something like that, you know? But, uh, uh, I try to, like, really just write different versions of things, share, I share a lot of early versions of things with, like, a group of people that I trust. I'm sending rough versions of things to people, I'll rewrite it instantly, I'll do, uh, 100 drafts of something, you know? Um, I'm really not precious with that, you know? But, but I don't know. I mean, I, I don't know if, like, yeah, I don't know what other, I don't know what people expect. I, I, I'm g- I'm more curious than other people's creative processes, honestly. (laughs) Like, it's so ingrained in who I am, like, I've been doing it since I was so young. Like, it, it's, it, it, it's truly like a part of, like, my brain chemistry, is, and my development was, is built around, you know, writing and, and writing movies specifically. So, like, my, my personality I think in some ways is, is, is engineered around writing and, and, and making movies in some ways, 'cause I've been doing it since I was so young. So, I really think it's, like, it's become a very fluid part of who I am and it doesn't feel like often I'm, like, sitting down to work. It's like, it's just kind of a fluid part of my day. I do also have, like, I'm very, I get a schedule sent to me by my assistant at the end of every night that tells me what I'm doing the next day. I pretty much just do what's on the schedule. (laughs)

    12. SBSteven Bartlett1:12:53

        She s- she sends you an email, right?

    13. SRSeth Rogen1:12:55

        Yeah.

    14. SBSteven Bartlett1:12:55

        And it will say, "10:00 PM. Do this, Seth."

    15. SRSeth Rogen1:12:57

        Yeah, it'll be like, "10:00 AM to 2:00 AM." Uh, and there'll be, like, giant bl- free blocks of time in there where I will write usually, or me and my partner will organize our own, we'll, we'll organize our own writing time amidst that, but, uh, yeah. I mean, I'm pretty regimented from a schedule standby, which does surprise people 'cause people will encounter me and be like, "Yo, let's get together, like, sometime this week." And I'm always like-... like, I'm, like, scheduled, like-

    16. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:21

        (laughs)

    17. SRSeth Rogen1:13:21

        ... like a month out pretty rigorously throughout the days, you know what I mean?

    18. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:25

        But if I asked you what your schedule was next week, would you-

    19. SRSeth Rogen1:13:27

        I have no fucking clue. I only-

    20. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:29

        (laughs)

    21. SRSeth Rogen1:13:29

        (laughs) I don't know what my schedule is Monday.

    22. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:31

        (laughs)

    23. SRSeth Rogen1:13:31

        I'm also, yeah, like, I'm not, I'm good at, I- I- I like dealing with what's right in front of me, honestly-

    24. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:36

        Same.

    25. SRSeth Rogen1:13:36

        ... as well. Like, I- I- I can't begin to process what's happening next week. Like, I- I truly, that's too much for me. Like, I- I know, like, the big things, like the benchmarks. You know what I mean?

    26. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:47

        Mm-hmm. If you're leaving the country or something.

    27. SRSeth Rogen1:13:48

        But, yeah, if there's some big thing I have to do. But, like, in general, I have no idea what's happening (laughs) -

    28. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:52

        (laughs)

    29. SRSeth Rogen1:13:53

        ... the week before. (laughs)

    30. SBSteven Bartlett1:13:54

        Have you d- b- bit of a left field one, but have you, um, observed a, a point in your, your trajectory where you become s- somewhat so successful or somewhat, you know, so famous that happiness begins to decline?
16. 1:15:56 – 1:21:45

    Last guest's question

    1. SRSeth Rogen1:15:56

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:15:56

       We, we have a-

    3. SRSeth Rogen1:15:57

       (laughs)

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:15:57

       ... we have a closing tradition on this podcast where the last guest leaves a question for the next guest-

    5. SRSeth Rogen1:16:01

       Okay, great.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:01

       ... not knowing who they're leaving it for. And we have a new tradition on this podcast, which I'll talk to you about.

    7. SRSeth Rogen1:16:05

       Great.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:05

       The qu- the, the question left for you-

    9. SRSeth Rogen1:16:07

       Yeah.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:07

        Okay, the handwriting is not the best.

    11. SRSeth Rogen1:16:09

        (laughs)

    12. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:10

        Um-

    13. SRSeth Rogen1:16:10

        Who left it?

    14. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:11

        I can't tell you.

    15. SRSeth Rogen1:16:12

        Okay, good.

    16. SBSteven Bartlett1:16:12

        That one's a secret. Looking back on your love life-

Episode duration: 1:25:29