Cera Gets Indie in ‘Nick and Norah’

Remember that gawky, socially awkward kid in high school who could never quite speak loud enough for anyone to hear him? Actor Michael Cera has been that kid, first in “Arrested Development,” next in “Superbad,” and then in “Juno.” In his latest movie, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” Cera gives hope to the socially inept as he reprises his well-established role as the charmingly goofy, pubescent boy who somehow manages to win a girl’s affection. Where that character ends and his own personality begins, however, is unclear.

In a round table interview with The Crimson, Cera and his costar, Kat Dennings, talked about their experiences playing the title characters in “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” who spend a life-changing night on a sleepless quest to hear their favorite underground band.

In discussing the choices they’ve made in their careers and their recent glimpses of fame, both actors come across as modest and reserved. Though Dennings was much more talkative than her costar, who gave little more than one-line answers. It’s easy to assume that Cera and his characters are one and the same—and he didn’t offer up much to confirm or deny that suspicion.

When asked about the differences between his own experience as a child actor and the experiences of the regular teenagers he portrays, Cera said, “Well, the characters are totally different. None of the characters that I’ve ever played were child actors or anything.” With typically opaque answers such as this that may or may not miss the mark intentionally, Cera leaves others to guess if he’s being serious.

When later asked to elaborate on the difference between the characters he’s played, Cera answered, “They are different people...Yes, different kinds of muscle problems.” The brevity and impenetrability of such responses only leaves us to guess at the kind of person who is behind them.

Both actors admitted that the crazy night depicted in the movie doesn’t reflect their own lives. “I avoided nights like this on purpose,” Dennings said. “I still kind of do. I’m a real homebody and the prospect of running around looking for something I don’t know where to find, is a little bit daunting.”

While both actors claim to eschew the spotlight, Cera professed unhesitatingly that he would stay out all night looking for one thing: “Oh, a child.”

Dennings agreed, “Yes if I lost, like, a family member, if there was an emergency, but probably not for leisure. I don’t find those types of things relaxing.”

However, nearly 30 straight nights filming in New York City provided some of the adventure both actors normally avoid. “We had some crazy nights filming the movie… You know, middle of the night in New York City, drunk people throwing things, yelling at us, wanting us out of their places where they like to be,” Dennings said.

Dennings’s role in “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” also represents a continuation of a string of parts in comedic movies that focus on high school students, such as “Charlie Bartlett” and “Raise Your Voice.” The repetition of such similar roles for both actors begs the question of whether either would consider different kinds of parts in the future.

“I think I can speak for both us when we say that it just depends on the script,” Dennings said. “And if the script happens to be funny, then so be it...It just depends on the material and the director and what you want to do. It’s not really a calculated decision.”

When asked what role she would pick if she could be in any movie currently in production, Dennings replied, “I would be Samuel Jackson in ‘Iron Man II.’” Cera, however, said that a change of roles for him might be in the works. “I’m currently working on a project where I kidnap a young boy and proceed to smack him around,” he said.

References to Cera’s role as a teenage father in Juno have been reappearing in the media ever since the announcement of the pregnancy of 17-year-old Bristol Palin, daughter of Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

When asked what he thought of the situation, Cera delivered a typically inscrutable response. “Well, I had a feeling when I took the part that something like that would happen, that Sarah Palin would run and her teen would be pregnant, and so I’m glad that it finally was fulfilled.”

—Staff writer Rachel A. Burns can be reached at rburns@fas.harvard.edu.