Michael Cera reportedly turned down 'Fantastic Beasts' so he won't become 'too famous'

The Superbad star, Michael Cera, who rose to fame after starring in the immensely popular 2003 sitcom Arrested Development, opened up about the time he rejected a potential role in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise on The Louis Theroux Podcast. The British Academy Film Award-nominated actor, Michael Cera, revealed to Louis Theroux that the reason behind turning down the role was that he thought he would become too famous.

Michael Cera, who recently starred in Wes Anderson's espionage dark comedy film The Phoenician Scheme, alongside A-listers like Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio Del Toro, and others, which was released on May 30, 2025, discussed his approach when it came to controlling his public profile.

The Juno actor, Michael Cera, instead of going forward with what could have been his career-defining chance instead decided to prioritize his contentment and peace of mind and backed away as the casting director of the Wizarding World wanted him to commit to a several-year contract. The 37-year-old actor said:

"I don’t even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something. But also, I did sort of make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it."

While Cera's perspective towards committing to big films has changed quite a bit over the years, he is now ready to take up large-scale productions. Cera confessed to Theroux:

"I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time. But if a franchise came along now and seemed interesting, I don’t think on the grounds of it being a franchise I would storm out of the office or anything."

Michael Cera's fear of becoming too famous

Trending

Michael Cera thought movies that are targeted towards a younger audience have the potential to form a bigger fan following while drawing more public attention. His fear of becoming too famous originated from the thought that bigger franchise roles lead to excessive fame. He explained:

"And I felt like doing, especially little kids’ movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous."

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback