Rogen at Toronto: “I Was Lucky Coming Up” Is the Whole Story of His Career

Seth Rogen has spent his career making audiences laugh about cancer, aging, and now Alzheimer’s disease — and he still insists that his rise in Hollywood was mostly luck. Speaking at TIFF: The Market in Toronto on Sunday, the Canadian actor and producer opened up about his humble beginnings, his friendship with Evan Goldberg, and the moment Judd Apatow shouted across a writers’ room: “Less semen, more emotion.”

“I was lucky coming up,” Rogen said, summing up his secret to success in La La Land. He left Vancouver at around 16 years old, eventually linked up with Apatow, and now brings two films to TIFF this year: Babies, directed by Lauren Miller Rogen, and Tangles, an animated feature they produced together. The Toronto Film Festival runs through Sept. 20.

Vancouver Beginnings

Rogen’s career began in Vancouver, where his parents scheduled him for stand-up comedy classes and his mother drove him to clubs. The other comics were not always the best influence on the young boy. But his parents had a clear goal: one day he would make enough money to buy them a house. “They really believed one day I would make enough money to buy them a house, which I did. So it worked,” Rogen said.

His first job in Vancouver was doing stand-up at a lesbian bar called The Lotus. “It went very well,” he reported. He also recalled sorting through video rental stores with his friend Evan Goldberg, watching endless movies, and realizing that John Candy and Michael J. Fox were Canadians. “Now I only watch Canadian things. It’s never enough,” he assured his TIFF audience to applause.

Goldberg Partnership

Rogen and Goldberg have been friends since both were 12 years old. They have been writing comedy together for 30 years, and Rogen said there is a disturbing amount of overlap in their skill sets. “And we’re very forgiving of one another,” he added.

When asked about writer’s block, Rogen said he finds excitement in a blank page. “I’m sometimes excited by the blank page. I put very little pressure on myself when I’m just writing something at first,” he explained. Their partnership has produced Freaks and Geeks, other early projects, and countless scripts that didn’t get picked up by the major studios.

Apatow and Los Angeles

Once in Los Angeles, Rogen said Apatow told him to write honestly about his life and comedy. That advice led to a moment in the writers’ room for Knocked Up, when Apatow shouted out from an adjoining office: “Less semen, more emotion.” The line became a shorthand for the kind of comedy Rogen wanted to make.

Hard work paid off after early success with Freaks and Geeks. Rogen did auditions and wrote scripts that didn’t get picked up, but he kept pushing. He described the frustration of not moving up the ladder as healthy anger. “It’s healthier to be mad at everyone else. It’s healthier to say it’s unfair. I’m getting fucked,” he said of his lack of progress.

The Studio Freedom

Success finally arrived, most recently with the AppleTV+ series The Studio, now in its second season. Rogen wears many hats on set, and he said Apple has given him creative freedom. “We wanted no oversight in any way, shape or form. And Apple, to its credit, really has let us do what we want. God bless them,” he told the audience.

Babies and Alzheimer’s

Babies, meanwhile, reflects Rogen’s current age and life. It’s a by-product of him getting older and trying to make things he really likes and relates to. The film was written and directed by Lauren Miller Rogen, who is also his wife. Babies has a personal connection. Miller Rogen saw her mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was just 55 years old, around the time the couple started dating. “It really does permeate through the screen. It’s something I couldn’t be more excited to be part of. And people seem to be really connecting to it. But it’s sad. Be careful,” Rogen observed.

Cancer Comedy Roots

Rogen has found humor in illness before. His 2011 cancer comedy 50/50 was a box office success. Now he believes it’s worth finding humor in aging. “If you can make cancer funny, you should also try to make Alzheimer’s funny,” he insisted.

Luck and Hard Work

Rogen’s keynote was a reminder that he described his own career as a mix of luck and hard work. He admitted that Hollywood is hard and has crushed him sometimes, and crushed those around him many times. But he also said success is possible, “because I did it.”

Rogen’s confession is charming self-deprecation. He could have framed his success as the result of hard work, talent, and persistence. Instead he chose luck, which reads as humility rather than modesty.

The “Less semen, more emotion” line is a joke, but it also captures a genuine shift in his approach. Apatow taught him to write honestly about his life, and that honesty has defined his career from Freaks and Geeks to The Studio.

Rogen’s relationship with Apple is notable too. The studio has let him wear multiple hats and avoid oversight entirely. “God bless them,” he said, which is the kind of gratitude that comes from being trusted.

The Sad Truth

Rogen’s work on Babies is a product of his wife’s family tragedy. The film reflects Rogen getting older and the experiences he relates to, with Miller Rogen’s mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 55. Rogen acknowledged the sadness of the subject matter, telling his audience to be careful.

He also said people seem to be connecting to the film. The combination of personal stakes and broad appeal is rare in comedy, and Rogen’s willingness to talk about it openly is part of why the film resonates.

Seth Rogen’s keynote was a warm, funny, and surprisingly honest look at his career. He shared stories about his early days in Vancouver, his friendship with Evan Goldberg, and the moment Judd Apatow shouted across a writers’ room. He talked about Babies, The Studio, and his belief that humor can help us face difficult subjects.

The Toronto Film Festival continues through Sept. 20, and Rogen’s presence there shows that he remains a central figure in Hollywood.

See the video the story is built around at The Hollywood Reporter.

comedy · Hollywood · Judd Apatow · Seth Rogen · TIFF