Michael Cera Turned Down Hosting ‘SNL’ Because He Didn’t Want to Get ‘More Famous’

Michael Cera turned down the chance to say, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

In an interview with The Guardian published Monday, conducted before the actors' strike, Cera shared that the level of fame he gained from the hit 2007 comedy Superbad led him to make calculated career choices.

"There was a point where I wanted to stop taking jobs that would make me more famous," Cera explained, noting that he nixed a Saturday Night Live hosting gig around that time. The move disappointed his agents, but Cera said he was in a moment of "crisis" and "really not enjoying the level of heat."

The actor added that he questioned giving up acting altogether because of the level of notoriety it brings, though that idea never stuck. These days, Cera remains a steady fixture in the business, starring in last year's Hulu series Life & Beth and the upcoming Greta Gerwig comedy Barbie.

Cera plays Allan in the hotly anticipated film, a doll within the colorful Barbie universe.

"The way I read it in the script was that Allan is sort of obsessed with Ken, if not in love with him," the actor explained in an interview with ScreenRant published last week. "I love that he just wants the best for Ken, even if that means Ken not being near him. He wants Ken's happiness. I thought that was sort of a life of servitude in a way. Distant yearning."

Barbie is out in theaters on Friday.