Seth Rogen has revealed he’s now having to turn down his favourite directors for cameos on The Studio.
The Hollywood satire stars Rogen as TV executive Matt Remick, who is promoted to the head of the fictional Continental Studios amid major changes in the film industry. The first season of the show, which is co-created by Rogen alongside Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, recently wrapped on Apple TV+.
The show is notable for its extensive use of A-list guest stars, many of whom play self-deprecating versions of themselves, with names so far having included Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz, Martin Scorsese, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Ice Cube and Steve Buscemi.
Scorsese’s cameo in particular, Rogen says, has spurred other A-list directors to request an appearance on the show, with the actor describing the experience of turning down some of these names as “very meta”.
“It does feel like I’m running a fake movie studio at times,” he said in a recent interview with GQ. “I’m having directors’ agents call me to pitch their clients to be the directors of fake movies on our show, which is very weird and very meta. And I’m having to actually turn down directors I’m a big fan of because the movie, the fake movie, maybe isn’t quite right for the fake package we have in our heads. So yeah, it’s gotten very strange.”
He went on to add that the success of the show has led to a few people apologising for saying no to cameos. “I had a few people come up to me at the Emmys saying they regret it, which was very meaningful to me,” he explained. “That’s all I want – for people to regret not working with me.”
The interview comes after Rogen detailed his ideal hitlist for guest stars for season two, which includes Zendaya, James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Speaking to Variety earlier this year, Rogen also hinted that Daniel Day-Lewis, who he described as “the greatest living actor”, would be an ideal candidate. “Daniel, please consider a Zoom with us,” he quipped. “We’ll pitch you a good idea.”
Dewayne Perkins, who plays publicist Tyler, has also tipped Zendaya for a role. “She’s everything,” he said. “She represents Hollywood in such a cool way, from being a child star to reaching the level that she’s reached. She’s a really good symbol of what Hollywood can be in a good way.”
In a glowing five-star review of season one, NME wrote: “This tongue-in-cheek takedown of the showbiz world is the funniest thing to come out of 2025 so far. If it doesn’t win an Emmy, there’s no justice left in Hollywood. Either that, or it’s a sign that the show has cut a bit too close to the bone – which feels like what The Studio is trying to do anyway.”
Rogen has also spoken recently about how the show was highly influenced by The Office.
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