Seth Rogen says the "weirdest" audition he has ever done was for "8 Mile ."- Friend
Jason Segel had to come with him and read lines as the casting director refused to. - "I started laughing hysterically," Rogen said in his book "
Yearbook " as he tried to be a Detroit rapper.
In his recently released book, "Yearbook," Seth Rogen opened up about the time he auditioned for the 2002 movie "8 Mile," starring
Rogen went out for the role of Cheddar, the loyal sidekick to Eminem's Rabbit character in the movie.
At auditions typically there's a casting person who reads lines off-camera to the actor auditioning on-camera. Rogen said that the movie's casting director wasn't comfortable doing this because of how "rappery it was," so ahead of auditioning all the actors were told to bring someone along with them to the audition to read with.
"Which is f---ing nuts," Rogen said.
He told his friend and "Freaks & Geeks" costar Jason Segel what was going on and Segel revealed that he also was auditioning for the Cheddar role and was also told to bring someone to read with.
The two actors decided to join forces at the audition.
"We asked our agents if our auditions could be scheduled one right after the other, so that one of us could audition for Cheddar, with the other reading the Rabbit part, and then we'd switch," Rogen said.
"We had a sleepover at my apartment the night before the auditions so we could rehearse and then carpooled to the audition together," he said.
It all turned out to be an awful plan.
"Auditioning is embarrassing in the best of times," Rogen said, looking back. "Add the fact that one of my best friends is watching me do it and that we're both reading for rappers from Detroit, which we could NOT have been less right for."
The two walked in, Rogen said he was Cheddar first, Jason was off-camera reading Rabbit's lines.
"Yo, yo, mothaf---a! It's Chedda! What up, b----!" Segal said, according to Rogen.
"I started laughing hysterically," Rogen said. "And so did Jason. We literally couldn't make it through the auditions. As soon as one of us started the scene, the other would lose it.
"Yo, yo, Rabbit!," Rogen responded, as Cheddar. "You gotta record your s--- at Paisley Park, yo!"
"Where, yo?" Segal asked, as Rabbit.
"Paisley Park, mothaf---a!" Rogen said.
"It was so silly, we couldn't finish," Rogen said. "We just excused ourselves and saw ourselves out, tears streaming down our faces."
The role of Cheddar ended up going to Evan Jones ("Jarhead"). "8 Mile" went on to be a big box office success and Eminem won the best original song Oscar for "Lose Yourself."
Neither Rogen nor Segel were cut out to play Detroit rappers, but both would team up again on the TV show "Undeclared" (which ended in 2003) and then they launched into stardom with the 2007 movie "Knocked Up."