TV & Beyond on 2025-06-24 20:00:00

by | Jun 24, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles | 0 comments

TV & Beyond on 2025-06-24 20:00:00

Rogen told Jimmy Kimmel on the late night host’s eponymous show, specifically referencing that he doesn’t have to audition for roles anymore. “And thank god it was mostly physical VHS tapes and stuff like that that was being used when I was auditioning for things, because the things I auditioned for, in retrospect, if they were out there in the world, they would end my career very, very fast, I believe.”

“I auditioned for this boy with a cognitive disability,” Rogen said of his “Gigli” audition. “And I don’t think the script was written in what, by today’s standards, would be the most sensitive portrayal of a boy with a cognitive disability.” So, what exactly happened in Rogen’s “Gigli” audition, according to the actor?

Seth Rogen says his audition for Gigli was deeply offensive — and would get him in so much trouble today

Matt looking horrified on The Studio

Apple TV+

As Seth Rogen explained to Jimmy Kimmel, he was a little starstruck by the director of “Gigli,” Martin Brest, who’s known for works like “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Scent of a Woman,” and “Meet Joe Black.” (With that information in mind, it’s important to remember that Rogen was still trying to really “make it” in the industry.) “I wanted to leave an impression,” Rogen said before explaining precisely why his audition was so poorly executed.

“I don’t think I wore a helmet in to the audition itself, but it was at play,” Rogen said, tempering this revelation with his signature laugh. “And I’m tempted to do an impression of what I did, but I can’t even do it. I can’t. That’s how bad it was. It’s so bad. I dare not even portray what I did in this audition. Because I went for it. I saw myself at the Oscars.”

“Truthfully, if that tape was out [in] the world today, this would be the last interview you ever saw me do,” Rogen concluded. “Other than, like, my apology tour. Please, if you have it, burn it. Please sell it to me. I will buy it.”

I’ll also speak truthfully and say that Rogen is so lucky he didn’t get cast in “Gigli,” because that movie sucks. Not only was it the flop that landed Brest in director’s jail and ended his career (after studio interference radically changed whatever the director’s original vision for the film was, he lost creative control and basically left Hollywood), but “Gigli” is also one of the most infamous misfires in movie history. Not only did it make $7 million on a budget that surpassed $70 million, but it was a critical bomb to boot and still boasts a pretty depressing 6% on Rotten Tomatoes.

These days, Seth Rogen isn’t ‘canceled’ … and is doing just fine

Sal, Maya, Matt, and Quinn talking in a meeting on The Studio

Apple TV+

I think it’s pretty safe to say that Seth Rogen’s career probably would have been okay even if he had appeared in “Gigli,” but he’s lucky he dodged that cinematic bullet … and since 2003, he’s been doing just fine. Alongside his writing partner and childhood friend Evan Goldberg, Rogen wrote hits like “Superbad” (where he doesn’t play his younger self, Seth, but gives Jonah Hill that role and portrays a really clownish cop alongside Bill Hader), “This is The End,” “Pineapple Express,” and the controversial comedy “The Interview.” He’s also appeared in some pretty major films (including a dramatic turn in Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film “The Fabelmans”), and, as of this writing, he’s now racking up accolades for his Apple TV+ series “The Studio.”

On that series, which Rogen created alongside Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, he plays Matt Remick, an executive at the fictional Continental Studios in Hollywood who ends up running the entire company. Though he honorably sets out to make films with artistic merit, that goal takes a back seat after he’s told he needs to produce a “Kool-Aid movie” for sheer financial viability. From there, as the first season of the show continues, Rogen’s Matt tries to find some balance between his desire to support artistic integrity and the unfortunate need to make really absurd-sounding movies for the masses. The point is, Rogen probably really wanted that role in “Gigli” way back when, but he’s been able to carve out his career by writing and creating his own roles and projects in the years since he botched that audition … and all in all, I’d say his offensive audition was probably a very twisted blessing in disguise.

“The Studio” is streaming on Apple TV+ now.

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