Nothing about Seth Rogen says action hero. He looks like your favourite gaming buddy and sounds like he's got a permanent cold. All this is perfect for comedy: comedians have to look funny, sound funny, they need to be able to laugh at themselves. Rogen leaned on his comedy as a teenager, and it's little known that he landed a screenwriting role on Da Ali G Show before being coerced into film. He had a supporting role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, directed by Judd Apatow, before nabbing leading roles in his ensuing films, Knocked Up and Funny People. He co-wrote and starred in Superbad, which helped catapult him into the mainstream. But none of this would lead you to believe he'd make a good action hero. In 2011, though, he shed his bumbling ways to star in The Green Hornet, where he forms a crimefighting team after the untimely death of his father. He laughed in the face of the critics who didn't think he was the right fit for the role, and shed 30 pounds to ensure he looked the part. While he might have been the sort of hero to shoot himself in the face - the sort of hero to crack a few jokes and make you giggle like a loon - you know he's going to get the job done in the end. And that deep, gritty comedian's voice? Turns out it's perfect for rocking one-liners all day long.
Mike Revell is the author of STONEBIRD (Quercus, 2015), and is an award-winning journalist. He has written for the Mirror and NFL UK. He lives near Cambridge, and has an unhealthy obsession with American football, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones.
