Seth Rogen And The Science Of Rogenomics

He’s still getting high. He’s still making us laugh. But he’s kinda running Hollywood now, too

- Caroline McCloskey

Rogen is not the type of dude to distil his strategies for living into therapeutic sound bites, little chunks of wisdominspo to be digested in the morning alongside a matcha and some sun salutations. In fact, and thank god, he wouldn’t even formally consider them “strategies for living” at all, let alone dream of imposing them on anyone else. Still, spend a little time in his company, talking about his life, and certain patterns start to emerge, themes and lessons recurring with enough frequency that they can be isolated for general distribution: Work harder than everyone else. Find a mentor, or at least some encouragement. Cultivate enduring relationships. Grow gradually. Beware hubris. Never be their biggest problem. Be in control of your own work (where possible). Always have something else going on.

On a Tuesday afternoon in April, Seth Rogen was sitting in a corner booth in the back of Canter’s Deli on Fairfax in LA, awaiting his matzo-ball soup. Over the years he’s celebrated birthdays here, in the Kibitz Room bar, and, in the era before he had offices, the restaurant functioned as a de facto conference room for business meetings. No surprise, then, that he was greeted like the mayor, along with obscure inside jokes with the waitstaff. Almost immediately, Rogen – bearded, bespectacled, becapped – was approached by some blokes apologetically asking for a picture. He obliged, grabbing their phones and mugging for two second intervals. “Taking the picture myself was a big evolution,” he said after they’d gone. “That helps. Takes a lot of the guesswork out.”