Michael Cera and Kat Dennings are two actors on the rise. They come together in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, opening today, a movie about one night in New York City filled with indie rock and haphazard adventure while the duo look for a band and a drunk friend. When interviewed, they show they’re more than just actors. They’re writers, wise guys — and possibly demonic too (just read on).
If you had to make playlists for each other, what would be the first song on them?
Cera: I would say “Get Out of My Life.”
Dennings: I’ll give you “Move Bitch” by Ludacris.
In the film you follow around the fictional band Where’s Fluffy. Who would you follow around in real life?
Dennings: David Bowie. I’d follow him around in the street.
Would you ever consider writing screenplays?
Dennings: Yeah, my brother and I wrote our first screenplay together. You know, we’re moving forward with it. It’s exciting.
Cera: I write for myself so I don’t think I’d ever want to make it into something. I like making it a personal thing. Once you give it to people they just judge it.
Any weird rituals you guys have or pet peeves?
Cera: I can’t really think of anything, you seem pretty normal.
Dennings: You mean when I was in the corner trying to be a tree that didn’t bother you? We were pretty lucky with our cast, nobody really had weird rituals. I’ve worked with this guy who’d say this mantra before every shot.
Cera: Maybe it’s to throw everybody off their game. I’ve heard that Donald Trump, if he’s going into a power meeting with some kind of enemy, he’ll tell them, “excuse me, you have very bad breath” just so he’ll have an advantage.
What are some similarities between you and your characters?
Cera: Nothing really. There are personality traits that anybody can identify with but nothing specifically, nothing everybody can’t relate to. I’m sure everybody has been broken up with.
Dennings: I guess I relate to Norah’s mothering aspect of her personality. I can get like that. The farther I get from the shoot, I realize how different we are which is good! I’m glad I’m not playing myself, I wouldn’t be a very good actress.
Do you ever feel type-cast?
Cera: If people write parts for you, I guess you can feel type-cast but this was a book so it had nothing to do with us before we were involved.
Dennings: I have a theory about this. Mike and I look the same in all our roles – our faces, our hair, our general being human – I think people think we play the same person because we always look the same.
Cera: I don’t really think about it much. I’m not trying to be Jeremy Irons or anything.
Dennings: And when you’re a certain age, there’s only so many things for 18-year-old girls and boys…
Cera: As long as it seems authentic. I just don’t want to play someone that would seem bogus.
Dennings: If I played an anorexic Ethiopian, it would seem like a stretch. It wouldn’t seem honest.
Cera: Are you saying Ethiopians are dishonest people?
Dennings: Don’t spin me!
What is the weirdest script you’ve ever gotten?
Cera: I’ve auditioned for a werewolf movie. I don’t even know if it ever got made but the audition was really painful. Your heart can’t be in it at all, so it was a really awful audition.
Dennings: I had to audition for the remake of The Exorcist when I was ten. I had to do the scene where she gets possessed and my mom was like “You can’t watch the Exorcist. You’re ten; you’ll ruin your life.” So I didn’t know what I was doing. So I did this voice that was kind of like a drag queen and was like “Oh, I love you! I’m possessing you!” I was horrified and they were all laughing. Just this little girl with frizzy hair and huge teeth trying to touch herself and all “Oh yeah! I’m getting possessed!”