"Knocked Up's" Rogen aims for 2nd hit in "Superbad"

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By Iain Blair

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Writer and actor Seth Rogen already has one hit comedy, "Knocked Up," in movie theatres, and this Friday’s debut of "Superbad" could bring a rare event for the recent Hollywood newcomer -- back-to-back blockbusters.

With solid reviews and loud fan buzz, the raunchy coming-of-age sex comedy could be a late-summer sensation like 2005’s "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" or last year’s "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Both raked in more than $100 million (50 million pounds) worldwide and were produced by Judd Apatow, who gave Rogen his first big break on TV’s "Freaks and Geeks."

Apatow wrote and directed "Knocked Up," which starred Rogen as a hapless guy at the centre of an unexpected pregnancy.

What all these movies share are a lot of laughs in stories that are basic tales of friendship, family and human frailty.

"(’Superbad’) is a filthy, hilarious, sweet story about friends going off to different colleges, who have separation anxiety," said Rogen. "They then funnel all their anxiety and energy into getting alcohol so they can impress women."

Rogen, 25, co-stars in "Superbad," and he co-wrote the movie with old friend Evan Goldberg. The comedy stems from situations he and Goldberg faced growing up .....continued below

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Rogen described himself as a "loud-mouth guy who couldn’t get girls," and his character in "Superbad," Seth, is no different. Goldberg’s character, Evan, is sweet and shy.

"Probably the most autobiographical thing is the sense of desperation when it came to women, and the fear of actually speaking to them," said Rogen.

HOLLYWOOD’S NEW SLOBS?

The success of "Knocked Up," "40-Year-Old Virgin" and 2005’s "Wedding Crashers" has spurred talk in Hollywood of a new comic anti-hero -- the far-from-handsome, less-than-motivated slob who manages to get the girl. But Rogen, who has come to represent this new prototypical anti-hero, isn’t buying it.

"That’s a huge misconception, that audience tastes have suddenly changed and now comedies are full of unconventional leads," he said.

"If you put me and the other guys from this film in a line with Albert Brooks, John Candy, Will Ferrell and Bill Murray, you wouldn’t pick us out as the weird-looking ones. That line stretches back to W.C. Fields. He made tons of movies about a chubby guy trying to get a beautiful blonde. It’s a comedic formulas as old as movies themselves," Rogen said.

Nor, for that matter, does Rogen think audience tastes have changed. He points to 1982’s "Porky’s," in which nerdy guys triumphed over their rivals and got the girls.

What has changed, Rogen said, is that Hollywood’s major movie studios have been buoyed by the popularity of raunchy, adult-oriented comedies like "Virgin" and "Crashers" and have ordered more from their writers and producers.

Whatever the reason, Rogen has benefited, and he happily admits to being "totally amazed" at his fast-rising career.

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