Michael Cera on Why He Turned Down Harry Potter Spinoff “Fantastic Beasts”

Michael Cera has been carefully curating his career since he made a name for himself in hits such as 2007’s Juno and Super Bad.

The Arrested Development actor, 37,  has revealed he once turned down a chance to be part of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.

The decision to reject the offer wasn’t due to the author’s stance of transgender rights, which has resulted in many members of the Harry Potter cast distancing themselves from her, including stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

In an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, released on Tuesday,  Cera explained why he turned down the chance of a lifetime.. 

‘The Harry Fantastic Beasts. I don’t even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because, I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something.’

Besides the time it would require to be part of such a large enterprise, there was something else holding the director and producer back. 

‘I did sort of, make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it.’ he said of his reasoning.

Michael Cera, 37, has made a name for himself making a series of smaller, quirkier films, but the actor now says he’s more comfortable taking on bigger projects with bigger names;  Pictured in New York City in May 

‘Doing like, especially little kids movies. I had a big fear of doing things that would get me too famous,’ he said. 

That doesn’t seem to be as big a concern for The Barbie actor any more. 

‘I think that’s changed a little. I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time.’ 

Cera can currently be seen in Wes Anderson’s quirky The Phoenician Scheme along some of Hollywood’s most celebrated names including Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro and Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch.

‘I grew up watching his[ Anderson’s] movies and worshiping him and all of my friends, all of my peers, we were all like, he’s the guy.’

Cera credits the writer-director for having a big influence ‘on my general sense of taste and humor and aspirations as a performer. So, I think if I fit in his thing, it’s because I’ve grown up on him.’

The actor, got his start at 14 on the Emmy winning Arrested Development. One of his co-stars, Will Arnett would often complement him. 

‘Will would say to me a lot, “you’re really funny.” That was enormous to my self-worth and just self-confidence. Because he’s the funniest person I’ve ever seen. 

Cera’s decision to reject the offer wasn’t due JK Rowling’s stance of transgender rights, which has resulted Harry Potter cast Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe and others distancing themselves from her;  Pictured in London In March 2022

The BAFTA nominee explained he turned down the chance  to be associated with the Harry Potter franchise’s Fantastic Beasts series because of the fame it might bring

‘I did sort of, make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it,’ he said on The Louis Theroux Podcast episode release Tuesday;  Pictured in New York City in June 2023

That doesn’t seem to be as big a concern for The Barbie actor any more. ‘I think that’s changed a little. I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time’

Cera can currently be seen on the big screen in The Phoenician Scheme, written and directed by Wes Anderson, whom he as admired for most of his career;  Seen here with Mia Threapleton

Cera called Anderson a big influence ‘on my general sense of taste and humor and aspirations as a performer. So, I think if I fit in his thing, it’s because I’ve grown up on him’;  Pictured with Anderson, Threapleton and Benicio del Toro in Cannes in May

The very private actor has been married to his wife Nadine, for an undisclosed amount of time. They are parents to two young children;  Pictured in New York City in May

The very private actor has been married to his wife Nadine, for an undisclosed amount of time. 

The Life & Beth actor shared how they met at a bar in Paris on pal Justin Long’s Life Is Short podcast in 2022.’

‘There was no shyness, we just kept seeing each other and smiling. It was so comfortable,’ the Sacramento star revealed. ‘It was a really unfamiliar way to experience a stranger, and I felt like I saw the whole thing.’

The couple are parents to two young children. The oldest was born in the fall of 2021 and the younger in early 2024.