But scheduling was only part of the calculation.
“But also, 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 continued. “And I felt like doing, especially little kids’ movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous.”
It is an unusual concern in an industry where actors are generally expected to regard greater visibility as an uncomplicated benefit. For Cera, however, the scale of a “Harry Potter”-related franchise appears to have been precisely the problem.
By that point, he was already strongly associated with films including “Superbad” and “Scott Pilgrim,” but joining a major family-oriented fantasy series offered a different level of exposure — and potentially years of recurring appearances.
The franchise Cera could have joined
“Fantastic Beasts” was conceived as a prequel series to the “Harry Potter” films and follows Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, an expert in magical creatures who becomes involved in the conflict against dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
The films also feature a younger Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law. Johnny Depp portrayed Grindelwald in the first two instalments, while Mads Mikkelsen took over the role for the third.
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling wrote the “Fantastic Beasts” screenplays and originally planned the story as a five-film series. Three films were ultimately produced, but concrete plans for further instalments have not been announced.
Cera did not disclose which character he might have played, meaning there is no obvious alternate version of the series for fans to reconstruct. The intriguing part of the story is less the missing role than the reason he decided he could live without it.
Cera says his attitude towards franchises has changed
The decision does not appear to represent a permanent rule against blockbuster filmmaking.
Cera, who recently made his first appearance in a Wes Anderson film with “The Phoenician Scheme,” told Theroux that his relationship with fame has changed since the period when “Fantastic Beasts” was under consideration.
“I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time,” he said.
He also suggested that the word “franchise” alone would no longer be enough to send him in the opposite direction.
“But if a franchise came along now and seemed interesting, I don’t think on the grounds of it being a franchise I would storm out of the office or anything.”
That leaves open the possibility of Cera eventually taking a role in one of the sprawling film universes he once approached more cautiously. His threshold, at least by his own account, now seems to depend more on whether the project interests him than on how large the machinery surrounding it might become.
There is apparently one superhero role already available
Asked about the possibility of joining the Marvel universe, Cera did not reveal any secret negotiations or carefully guarded cinematic ambitions.
He did, however, establish one highly specific requirement.
“A superhero who is a big fan of dairy, I could play,” Cera said.
Marvel may need to consult its deeper archives.
The joke sits comfortably alongside the larger shift Cera described. Years ago, a multi-film franchise represented the kind of visibility he consciously wanted to avoid. Now, he says he would at least consider one if the role appealed to him.
That change probably arrives too late for whatever part he might once have played in “Fantastic Beasts.” But for the next studio hoping to lock Michael Cera into several years of sequels, the door is no longer closed. A suitably dairy-conscious superhero would apparently help.
