The trailer for the film "The Fivelmen" (courtesy of United King Films)
Seth Rogen is one of the most popular Hollywood comedians of the last two decades, and is known for his off-the-cuff humor.
Steven Spielberg, on the other hand, entered the pantheon mainly thanks to films like "Schindler's List", and even when he went in lighter directions, his jokes were never particularly wild.
Therefore, the last thing Rogen expected was a call from Steven Spielberg.
He probably didn't think that the famous director would ask him to play a relatively serious role in one of his most sentimental films, but that's what happened - and of course the comedian said "yes" without thinking twice.
And so, Rogen found himself starring in "The Devilmen", Steven Spielberg's new film that was released about a week and a half ago, riding a wave of rave reviews and predictions for Oscar nominations and wins.
This is the most personal film in the veteran filmmaker's career, and it presents his story and that of his family, and what shaped his personality as a director.
Gabriel LeBelle plays the character of the young Spielberg, Michelle Williams and Paul Dano the characters of his parents - and Rogen plays a close friend of the family, whose involvement in what is happening will have a far-reaching effect on her and the rest of the director's life.
A serious job.
Seth Rogen in "The Fivelmen" (photo: courtesy of United King Films)
"Stephen cried the whole time during filming," Rogen said after the film's premiere.
"His crying showed us how personal and important this film is to him, so it was important for us to do our best and respect what he does."
Since "The Fablemen" is Spielberg's most personal film, it is also his most Jewish film.
The preoccupation with identity and Jewish history is no stranger to Rogen.
The comedian dealt with these issues in his wonderful and heartbreaking memoir, "Yearbook", which was released about two years ago, and also in his first film as a director, the excellent "American Pickle", which was released during the Corona virus.
As part of the interviews to promote that film, Rogan said that "as a Jewish child, I was fed a lot of lies about Israel."
This statement led to a conversation between him and Yitzhak Herzog, who at the time served as the chairman of the Jewish Agency. At the end of the conversation, the Israeli statesman stated that the comedian apologized to him, but then the star published that he never "apologized" for what he said,
Last week I had the opportunity to chat briefly on Zoom with Rogan, on the occasion of the release of "The Fibblemen".
Unfortunately, I could not behave like the Israeli journalists in Qatar - that is, shove a microphone in his face and ask what he thinks about us.
The Hollywood PR people for the film left me time for only a few questions, and in addition they forbade any issues not directly related to the film.
When Americans say "forbidden" - they mean it.
But asking about anti-Semitism is also allowed - because a significant part of "The Devilman" deals with the manifestations of hatred that Spielberg experienced firsthand in his youth.
Among other things, the film describes how Christian thugs demanded he apologize for "killing Jesus", gave him derogatory names and terrorized him.
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"It is no coincidence that he chose to engage in anti-Semitism."
Seth Rogen with Steven Spielberg and the other stars of "The Devilmen" (Photo: GettyImages, Michael Kovacs)
"It is noteworthy that Steven chose to engage in anti-Semitism. He has been through all kinds of things in his life, so if he chose to devote so much screen time to this topic - there is a statement here," Rogan tells me.
"The film illustrates how terrible anti-Semitism is, and also how much it shaped Steven's life. He didn't experience crazy anti-Semitism, but there were some kids who treated him terribly just because he was Jewish, and he used the power of cinema to win them over." .
You dedicate a chapter in your book to your grandparents, or "Zaidi" and "Babi" as you call them, and according to what you say, they were very, very Jewish.
What would they say about this movie?
"They'd yell at me 'You think you're a big shot because you're in a Spielberg movie? Well, you're not! I guess that's what they'd say to me. They loved me to put me in my place. Properly!".
At this point, it should be noted,
laughing out loud.
Seth Rogen (Photo: GettyImages, John Kopaloff)
What did you learn about Spielberg from this film?
"I learned how much the cinema shaped Spielberg the person. He was a passionate filmmaker from a young age, and thanks to the camera he discovered things about his family that he would not have known otherwise. He also used his camera to change the lives of the people around him from childhood. I did not know all These things, and they explain how extraordinary Spielberg is in our world, because cinema is flesh and blood in a way that has almost no equal."
And what did you learn about yourself?
"This film took me out of my comfort zone, and the truth is that I was actually comfortable. My standards when it comes to comedy are very high, and being funny is a very difficult craft, so there was something liberating in a dramatic role in a dramatic film. I felt less pressure than usual."
The film begins with a scene where we see Spielberg's character entering a movie theater for the first time in his life - and falling in love with the art of cinema.
Do you remember the first films that influenced you in this way?
"My formative experiences were seeing 'Mad About Mary' and the movie 'South Park' in the cinema. I have never heard an audience laugh like that. It was laughing so hard, I could hardly understand what was going on in the movie. People around me were looking at each other like ' Wow, is what's going on here normal?'. I'll never forget the experience, and it shaped my personality as an artist. All I wanted and all I want is to make films like this, which will make viewers look in amazement at whoever is sitting next to them."
culture
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Seth Rogen
Steven Spielberg
antisemitism
The fiebelmen
