Michael Cera recalls refusing career's biggest opportunity out of THIS fear

Michael Cera recently got candid and opened up about turning down a role in the Harry Potter spinoff franchise Fantastic Beasts.

While conversing with Louis Theroux on his eponymous podcast, the 37-year-old Canadian actor revealed that he was offered a role in Fantastic Beasts and was in talks with the creative team, but he refused it due to the “fear” of getting “too famous.”

Cera said, “I don’t even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something. 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.”

The Barbie star continued, “And I felt like doing, especially little kids’ movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous.”

He went on to admit that his thoughts on fame have “changed a little” and he will now consider performing a role in the franchise.

“I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time. 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,” the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off actor noted.

It is pertinent to mention that Michael Cera's latest project is a Wes Anderson film, The Phoenician Scheme, which was released on May 30, 2025 in the United States.