Michael Cera doesnt have a smartphone: its just not interesting to me
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Michael Cera kind of fell off for a little bit, didn’t he? He seemed to be everywhere in the mid-late aughts and then was taking on smaller/supporting/voice roles for a while. But now he’s appearing in Amy Schumer’s Hulu show, the anxiously-awaited Barbie movie, a new Nicholas Cage movie, and a drama called The Adults. Michael spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his current and upcoming projects, staying out of the limelight and avoiding social media, and why he doesn’t have a smartphone.
Michael Cera is opening up about his lack of social media presence.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter in an interview that published Friday, the Superbad actor, 34, explained that he’s never felt compelled to be online that way, saying the decision “doesn’t feel conscious.”
“I guess it’s just something that I didn’t elect to do,” he said. “Because everybody does it, it starts to feel like a big choice. But it’s just not interesting to me.”
However, Cera did make a “conscious choice” not to have a smartphone. “I feel a bit of fear about it honestly like I’d really lose control of my waking life,” the star noted.
As an example, Cera pointed out a specific incident when he hung out with his friend who had gotten a smartphone. “I had lunch with a friend of mine who was my best friend at the time, and he’d just gotten a Blackberry, and for the whole meal he was typing emails, and I was sat there lonely and bored,” he recalled. “So I had an early aversion to them.”
Cera went on to note to THR that “a lot of people” tell him they’re envious of Cera’s choice. “For many years, people resented me for this lifestyle choice,” he shared. “But now people say that they envy it.”
The Arrested Development star said that “it’s very possible” that not having social media has impacted his career: “I mean, I’m definitely not holding any sway in that category. So if that’s an important thing I think I wouldn’t be considered.”
So Michael’s story about the newly Blackberried friend typing emails throughout lunch is so rude and yet so commonplace now. People definitely text/IG too much in group settings and it is annoying though I’m sure I’m guilty of it too. Doing it at a one-on-one meal is uniquely rude though, unless it’s a work emergency, but I also think phones keep us too tethered to work. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a smartphone, honestly, so I get why people envy Michael. But logistically, they are extremely handy. For instance, smartphones make traveling and navigating unfamiliar areas way easier. And also, just doing something as simple checking the closing time for a local restaurant or store is easier to do on the go with a smartphone. But yes, I stare at mine too much and Michael has the right idea. But has social media affected his career? I don’t actually think so. He’s always given off a kind of shy vibe so it’s not surprising he’s not on social media; and men seem to get away with abstaining from that without impact to their earning potential.
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