'Year One' Preview: Michael Cera and Jack Black Get Primitive
For part two of our Year One set visit, we sat down with Jack Black's caveman counterpart, Michael Cera. The rising star of Juno and Superbad talked about the perils of gold body paint, the drawbacks of apple juice as a urine substitute, and why you won't see him dressed in drag on the big screen anytime soon.
We heard you were painted gold for one of your scenes. What was that like?
Michael Cera: It’s insane. My whole body is painted gold. It was really uncomfortable and miserable, and washing it off is just awful.
And why exactly were you painted in gold?
MC: Kyle Gass paints me gold in the movie. He plays a eunuch, and he paints me gold to be a gold statue.
Wasn’t it hard for your skin to breathe?
MC: Yeah, for a few days after that, my skin was really just in pain, especially under my armpits. They put this gold powder on which is kind of this metal base. So it was really sharp. Wiping it off was like sandpaper. It was just crazy. And then your armpits all day are … on fire for like a week after. I couldn’t lift my arm higher than this or it was excruciating.
Compare Jack Black’s acting style to say Jonah Hill’s. How are they similar or different?
MC: Different approaches I guess. I think Jack really studies the script and really knows it. If a new scene comes up every day, I think he really just knows it. I think he’s spent time with the script whereas Jonah plans on kind of working on his feet, his toes. I think that’s kind of a major difference.
Do you like dressing up with crazy wigs?
MC: Yeah, it’s fun. This isn’t my main wig. In the second half of the movie, they cut my hair, but I normally have a long wig. It was custom-made and looks just like my hairline. It’s really insane. It’s weird when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and forget you’re wearing it.
Is there a lot of physical humor in this movie?
MC: Kind of. Would you call body paint physical humor? There’s not too much falling down. There is a cougar that attacks us. Jack falls down a few times. I fall down a cliff. So, yeah, it’s all funny, I guess.
We heard they had you upside-down for a torture scene. How long were you up there?
MC: It would only be for a minute at a time. They would take me down in between each take, but all day, I would be upside down. And then at the end, I pee, so I had apple juice running down my face. It kept getting in my noise and then in my eyes. They said, “What do you want the fake pee to be?” And I said apple juice. It stings your eyes. I should have gone with just water.
What was your first reaction when you arrived at this giant set?
MC: It was insane. It’s amazing. We shot the first few weeks in a different location while this was still being built, and then this is mind-blowing. I have never worked on anything so elaborate or big or massive.
Growing up, were any of the guys in this movie your comedy heroes?
MC: Well, Ghostbusters is kind of the reason I wanted to be an actor. When I was four, I really liked Ghostbusters and wanted to act from a young age because of that. So, it’s great working with David Cross, who also loves Ghostbusters. It was really amazing getting to listen to Harold old day.
Are you still in touch with Christopher Mintz-Plasse? How has he changed since the Superbad thing took off?
MC: I think his life has changed. He probably gets stuff yelled at him — in a good way, not in a malicious way, I think. It’s got to be strange. Like his face is on shirts and stuff. I remember when we were doing the press tour around the country before the movie even came out, [and] there were people showing up with McLovin’ shirts. Which was crazy — the movie wasn’t going to be released for two months.
What else is coming up? What’s next after this?
MC: I’m not sure. I think I’m supposed to do this movie — hopefully, if it all comes together — called Youth in Revolt in April or May. I think I will, hopefully. It’s about kids whose parents are divorced. [My] falls in love with the girl. He’s like 14. He’s trying to be with her, and she lives in a different city. It’s a very epic. The book is really funny.
There are some pretty risqué scenes in the novel upon which Youth in Revolt is based. Will they make it into the movie?
MC: I’m not sure if any of that will be in there. There is a lot of stuff you read in a book, and then you think of it in a movie [and] it’s like, “Ugh, that might be really awkward in a theater.” Basically, the last third of the movie, he’s disguised as a woman going to school. In the book, you’re reading it, and it’s fine, but then you think about it, and you’re like, ‘If I’m just wearing a dress and a wig, people are totally gonna know it’s me. Like people who know me would know it’s me. Unless I had Mrs. Doubtfire makeup and prosthetics and s--t, are they going to believe this?’ But the book is amazing.
Reporting by Emily Christianson
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