Michael Cera Says Jackie Chan Mistook Him For A Competition Winner

NME

Indie film legend, part-time musician and now Wes Anderson collaborator, Michael Cera, sits down with NME to talk all things 'The Phoenician Scheme', his iconic Super Bowl skincare advert and the time blockbuster veteran Jackie Chan didn't know who he was.

Transcript

00:00Could you imagine falling in love with a man like me, by the way, hypothetically?

00:05You're drunk on three beers.

00:07Hi, I'm Alex from NME, and today I'm joined by comic actor extraordinaire, part-time indie musician, and all-round great guy, it's Michael Cera.

00:14How are we doing?

00:15That's a nice intro, thank you. I have to compliment you on your shoes.

00:18Oh, thank you so much.

00:19People on camera can't see them.

00:20Yeah, they're not on camera, so...

00:21They're very nice.

00:22You could have done my t-shirt, I mean, what's for the...

00:23The shirt is great.

00:24People can see that.

00:25That's fantastic.

00:26You sent an email to one of my reporter friends at NME back in 2017 out of the blue.

00:31Okay.

00:32Do you remember that?

00:33In 2017?

00:34Yeah.

00:35No, I don't remember anything about 2017.

00:36It was because you'd just done a song with Sharon Van Etten.

00:39Oh, yeah.

00:40For the film Dina, right?

00:42Yeah.

00:43What was that about?

00:44Why were you sending emails for that?

00:45Surely Michael Cera doesn't do his own PR.

00:47Yeah, I kind of do.

00:48Oh, really?

00:49That's amazing.

00:50Well, when it's come to my music stuff, I've just done it personally.

00:54I mean, I'm not going to hire someone.

00:56Do you know how expensive it is?

00:57I don't know.

00:58We'll get into it.

00:59Right now.

01:02No, but maybe I had already been in touch with Luke a few years earlier when my other

01:06album came out, because I wrote a bunch of music publications to do a few interviews

01:12about it.

01:13Did you get any sort of funny responses being like, I don't believe this is Michael Cera?

01:17I think some people may have run some kind of check.

01:21Like, is this really who they say they are?

01:24How do you check that, apart from replying?

01:26Ask other people or something.

01:27I think some people ask my manager.

01:29That's why.

01:30Oh, really?

01:31Because my manager then forwarded it to me and said, was this you?

01:32And I'm like, yes.

01:33And then, you know, they did it like that.

01:35Because your email etiquette is kind of notorious.

01:38Email etiquette?

01:39Yeah, because I think I'm right in saying that once you replied to a nine-year-old email

01:45thread, just randomly out of the blue.

01:47Right.

01:48Is that right?

01:49Yeah, that is right.

01:50It was kind of a joke.

01:51Did you just come across it?

01:53Because it was for Scott Pilgrim, wasn't it?

01:55Yeah.

01:56You know, it is just funny to bring an old email back to life.

01:59Because Chris Evans, I think, he said that he replied, what the fuck Chris is?

02:03What's going on?

02:05It was a good thread, though.

02:07I mean, it did merit kind of a reawakening, because we were all having fun on it back in

02:11the day.

02:12I wonder what the email etiquette for Wes Anderson Films is like.

02:16Does he do emails?

02:17Yeah.

02:18Because I know lots of famous, well, Christopher Nolan in particular is very sort of analog.

02:21Yeah.

02:22And Wes has quite an analog feel.

02:24Yeah.

02:25Is he big on emails?

02:26Yeah, Wes emails.

02:27Okay.

02:28Wes, he's a brilliant producer, too.

02:30Yeah.

02:31He's a brilliant writer, obviously.

02:32And obviously very, you know, evidently very brilliant director.

02:35But he's a very good kind of curator and producer, too.

02:40He's like, he's across everything.

02:42Yeah.

02:43So you get an email response from him normally quite quickly.

02:45Even, I know that even, like, you know, my agents have told me that, too.

02:50Like, even if you're an agent and you write him this, this, he kind of gets back to you.

02:53He's like, he's in it.

02:54Yeah.

02:55He's pushing his stuff along, you know, very actively.

02:57And back to the music, though, because you haven't released any music.

03:00And our readers are very interested because we're a music magazine.

03:03Oh, yeah.

03:04Since that Sharon Van Etten track, I don't think.

03:05Right.

03:06That's true.

03:07What gives?

03:08Well, I haven't really been creating any music.

03:10I mean, I play music every day, but I have little kids now.

03:14And I just don't, I don't have time or focus to do anything productive in that way.

03:20But I hope to, again, and normally it's kind of case specific.

03:23Normally there's like a specific project or, you know, intention or something.

03:28But yeah, it's just a time management, you know.

03:32Did the Phoenician scheme sort of re-elevate that desire in you?

03:36Yeah.

03:37I was hoping to get to pop in on them recording the score for this, but I just missed the timing of it.

03:43But we did have a, we shot the movie in Berlin or just outside of Berlin.

03:47And we kind of took over a little hotel out there in Potsdam.

03:50And I rented an electric piano that lived in the hotel.

03:55Oh, amazing.

03:56So that we could have some music atmosphere.

03:58It lived in the lobby.

03:59It lived in the lobby.

04:00Sometimes Wes's editing suite was like just on the other side of the wall right next to the piano.

04:04So sometimes they were in there working and someone would come out and go like, no music right now.

04:08But for the most part, it was embraced and we had some music nights and stuff.

04:12Oh, cool.

04:13Who else plays on the cast?

04:14Well, Hope Davis's husband, John, Hope came and she's in the movie and John was with her.

04:19And John like used to sing in a Beatles cover band.

04:22Amazing.

04:23And he's played in other bands and stuff and does his own music.

04:25But so he knew every Beatles song.

04:27So when he showed up, we got like some real music going.

04:30He kind of nudged you off the stool.

04:31Yeah, it was cool.

04:32I'll take over that.

04:33No, it was like, well, before that, it was like, it wasn't much of a sing along vibe.

04:36Cause you can't kind of generate that just by yourself.

04:38But when he showed up and then it was like, okay.

04:40And then we got these songs and these harmonies and it was like very real.

04:45You used to work for me.

04:47Oh, I'm sorry.

04:48Me?

04:49No.

04:50I was in disguise.

04:51Oh, Dr. Lansman.

04:52I recognize this assassin.

04:57Who hired you to kill me?

04:58So my next question is about your music again.

05:01It's my favorite track you did.

05:03Clay Pigeons.

05:04Oh yeah.

05:05Are you aware that it became a TikTok trend?

05:07Yeah.

05:08I am aware of that.

05:09I don't know why.

05:10It was like maybe a couple of years ago.

05:12It had like a spike.

05:13Yeah.

05:14And I even heard it like in a coffee shop once or twice.

05:17Like I couldn't explain algorithmically why that occurred.

05:22But I was aware that people found it.

05:25It must've been something with TikTok.

05:27How do you hear about these things if you're not on social media?

05:29Like point it out to you and you're like, what's a TikTok?

05:31Well, I have my music.

05:33You know, when you stream music, you have like a music aggregate.

05:36Like I use a music aggregate service.

05:38Yeah.

05:39And I get passive revenue from the streams.

05:41Yeah.

05:42And from one day to the next, it was like more, you know, that's why.

05:46I mean, I'm sorry.

05:47It's a crazy answer.

05:48But I was like, what's going on?

05:49And then it went away.

05:50I was like, what was that?

05:51So that's how I knew mostly, knew about it.

05:53Like so many artists must see that and think, what on earth is going on here?

05:57Yeah.

05:58And then someone says, TikTok.

05:59And then, but also like young people would like, you know, or people would tell me like,

06:03my daughter loves your song.

06:04Like I noticed a spike in that, like young people knowing about it.

06:08I've got another question for you.

06:10It's a bit embarrassing for me.

06:12But Michael, I think about you every morning and every evening.

06:16Do you know why?

06:17No.

06:18Am I on your computer's desktop background?

06:20I think maybe that this might help you to.

06:22Oh, you use this product.

06:23Yes, I do.

06:24Yeah.

06:25Every morning when I look at that, I think.

06:26Great.

06:27Michael Serrat.

06:28Use that every day.

06:29Yeah, yeah.

06:30You have a very good, disciplined self-care regimen.

06:31But, of course, you did that famous advert.

06:35Yeah.

06:36Which got nine billion impressions.

06:38Right.

06:39Do you get people in the street quoting it at you?

06:41Or at least bringing it up?

06:43People do mention it, yeah.

06:44More than your films?

06:45I don't know.

06:46I don't think so.

06:47But, you know, it's the first time I've ever really done a thing like that.

06:51And I appreciated how the whole thing went.

06:54I mean, it mainly went so well because I made it with Tim and Eric,

06:58the comedy duo who were friends of mine.

07:00And they directed it and they were my partners in the whole thing.

07:02And, you know, the company, CeraVe, and also the ad agency that made it.

07:09Everybody did a really careful job with it.

07:12It was like, you know, we discussed every aspect of it all the time.

07:16And, yeah, I was really happy with how it turned out.

07:19Because it can be hard.

07:20As an actor, I imagine you're thinking, oh, an advert.

07:23Okay, fine, I'll do it.

07:24Yeah, normally I don't do them because they're, you know, I mean, I don't know.

07:29It's, you know, it's like a very narrow bullseye to find like a circumstance

07:33where it would all make sense and feel like a yes.

07:36But this was like, great.

07:38And I was kind of just, yeah, happy about it.

07:41And we watched it go out live.

07:42And my son, who was like, I guess, two and a half at the time,

07:46because we watched it during dinner on the laptop, like streamed it.

07:49And we don't normally watch the Super Bowl or watch anything.

07:52And my son saw it, it came on, and he just watched the whole thing.

07:54Because he's never really like seen me on the screen or anything.

07:57This was the first time he saw you on screen was in a ceremony.

07:59Yeah, and he watched me do it.

08:00And then he just like, he had no reaction at all.

08:02He was just like, just kept eating.

08:03Like it didn't make him want to ask any questions.

08:07But he was like two and a half.

08:08He's probably not into skincare, is he?

08:10But it didn't strike him as odd.

08:11Like, why were you on TV?

08:13I have never seen you use that product, Dad.

08:16We chatted about it earlier, but not in depth.

08:21And I should bring up, you met Jackie Chan yesterday, I think, didn't you?

08:25I met him like 20 minutes ago.

08:26Yeah.

08:27Today.

08:28I didn't expect to meet him.

08:29I think you requested to meet him because he was doing a radio interview.

08:32Well, this is how it happened.

08:33They were like, you know, the photographer was taking my picture.

08:35She's like, okay, I gotta go do Jackie Chan.

08:36I was like, Jackie Chan?

08:37She's like, yeah, he's down the hall.

08:38I was like, whoa.

08:39And she's like, do you know him?

08:40I went, no, I don't know Jackie Chan.

08:42And she's like, well, come meet him.

08:44And I was like, great.

08:46So that was it.

08:47And then when I met him, I think he was like, who's this person?

08:50What are we doing?

08:51He was like, here, okay, come on.

08:52I think he thought that I was like a contest winner.

08:55He was like, okay, come on, do a picture real quick.

08:57And then like, okay.

08:59One thing you'll never know because you can't.

09:02The truth.

09:04I suppose I'm moved by this absurd performance.

09:08Time for one last question.

09:11And it's a question we always end every interview with.

09:14And it's, if you could only keep one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

09:18And why?

09:19I don't know.

09:20It's going to be a very boring answer, but I just can't think.

09:22And I just, you know, I'll say Rubber Soul.

09:25Oh, amazing.

09:26I just love it.

09:28Do you remember when you first heard the album?

09:29Yeah.

09:30I mean, that's what the thing is.

09:31Like, you know, I kind of grew up being like Beatles, whatever, Hard Day's Night.

09:35I didn't care.

09:36And then when I was like 18, I gave like a real, you know, like kind of really listen.

09:41And I started with Rubber Soul.

09:42And I remember like the first track just being like, whoa.

09:45And I think that's just my favorite Beatles album to this day.

09:49And I love it.

09:51Have you ever met a Beatle?

09:52I've never met a Beatle.

09:53Which one?

09:54Ringo or Paul would you rather me?

09:56What an awful question.

09:57I'm sorry.

09:58I realized how awful it was before then.

10:01It's like, they're both good.

10:02Why do you have to choose?

10:03Why would I just like put one of them down?

10:05But Ringo does live in LA.

10:07Okay.

10:08So there's more of a chance that you might just sort of run into him, I think.

10:10That'd be cool.

10:11Yeah.

10:12What would you say to him?

10:13It would be strange to meet a Beatle.

10:14I don't know.

10:15It would be weird to say anything to them.

10:17I mean, they'd be so bored by whatever I had to say.

10:19They've heard it 8 billion times from every person on the planet.

10:22It must be hard to be a Beatle, I think.

10:24Yeah, definitely.

10:25Yeah.

10:26And on that note, I'll end there.

10:27But thanks so much for chatting to me, Mark.

10:28It's been a pleasure.

10:30It's been a pleasure.

10:32Time now.

10:33Syracite panel.

10:34Words for Father.

10:35Take this miserable scene into the comfort of your own mind.

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