Seconds after beginning my interview with Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday, stars of the new film Youth in Revolt, I am stymied to realize Cera was actually once a "youthful black woman."
Thanks to the in-depth research of my fellow interviewer (this was a round-table engagement), it seems Clark Duke had decidedly determined Cera wasn't always the pale-faced, cinematic symbol of youthful innocence he is today.
"Times have changed, I've changed with the times... I used to be Star Jones," he uttered, not seeming to be dodging the question at all.
As most round-table interviews go, this one was no different. We went around the room, swapping stories about the film, the sort of music we were into, and each other. It was about as laid-back an atmosphere has one can imagine, considering the rising stars seated across from us.
Where Cera was an invitingly sarcastic dead-pan, Doubleday was all classy charm, and story-laden wit. After a few minutes of deliberation regarding the public's perception of Cera as the "new everyman," Doubleday broke the set-story cherry with a big one we all enjoyed.
"My boyfriend at the time was visiting, and he was very shy, and sweet," she began, "So we went down the hall for a game night at Zach's (Galifianakis) room, and so [my boyfriend] knocked on the door, and Zach just swung the door open with a really serious face, kind of immediately after he knocked, and was naked from the waist down. Nikolia, my boyfriend apologized right away, because he didn't know Zach... It was hilarious."
Michael Cera: He shook hands with Zach's penis, didn't he?
Portia Doubleday: (laughing)
Michael Cera: He fell in love with Zach right then.
Portia Doubleday: Yeah, I lost him.
Michael Cera: Love at first grip.
If this sort of exchange doesn't explain the "casual feel" of the interview, I don't think anything else possible could. This is the sort of life young movie stars are lucky enough to lead - Naked exchanges with the guy from The Hangover, and dodging questions about whether or not they're merely playing onscreen versions of themselves.
This is what seemed strikingly odd from the get-go. I had expected Cera to be more.... George Michael Bluth than he wound up being. I almost felt ridiculous asking him whether or not it bothered him that many people thought wasn't actually acting, rather just being himself in front of a camera.
Chris DeSalvo: Does this sort of insinuation bother you?
Michael Cera: I don't think so, no.
There you have it. A mild-mannered answer to a probing question. Cera wasn't stand-offish. Just, straight-to-the-point, funny, and welcoming. If more young movie-stars came off this way in person, perhaps we could all breathe a little easier.