James Twigg, Asst. Arts Editor

            As Halloween inches ever closer, so does the latest project of comedy’s own rising star, David Seth Rogen. Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkin from Outer Space is a straight-to-television movie based off of the theatrical 3-D hit, Monsters vs Aliens.

            Rogen is the voice of B.O.B, one the film’s main characters. B.O.B. may just be a brainless, gelatinous blob with an insatiable appetite, but that doesn’t mean Rogen isn’t able to put a bit of himself into the character.

            “B.O.B. is Jewish. Most people don’t know that. He’s actually orthodox,” Rogen said. “It was a very collaborative process with the director, trying to come up with the character. At first there wasn’t a ton. Slowly we realized the joke was that he had no brain and he was very stupid and we worked from there.”

            Even though Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkin from Outer Space is a made-for-TV film and, hence, a bit shorter than its theatrical counterpart, audiences will still be able to get their B.O.B. fix.

            “I get in there,” Rogan said. “I’m very loud. That’s what’s good about an animated film. I don’t have to even be on screen for you to hear me, necessarily. B.O.B. is around. I’m in it. I don’t know the exact seconds. Normally, I do know the exact milliseconds I appear on screen in everything I do, but I have not yet timed this one.”

            Rogen celebrates Halloween in a way that many would expect the star of the 2008 hit Pineapple Express to do.

            “I had allergies when I was a kid and couldn’t eat sugar very often,” Rogen said. “To me, Halloween was just a day to gorge myself, which is a tradition I carry through to this day.”

            But Rogen isn’t a huge fan of Halloween, despite starring in this Halloween-themed special.

            “I have a girlfriend now and have entered the unfortunate world of paired costuming, which is not fun. I don’t recommend it,” Rogen said. “I always end up being the lamer half. It’s like she’s a dog and I’m a fire hydrant or something like that. It’s never fun.”

            Since his breakout role in Knocked Up, Rogen has proven himself to be both a skilled writer and talented actor, showing that he is truly a jack-of-all-trades within the realm of comedy.

            “To be on set all day just as an actor, it just seems like I’m doing an iota of what I should be doing with my day,” Rogen said. “I really enjoy writing. The most enjoyable times were just when me and Evan [Goldberg] have a script to write and plenty of time to write it in and nothing else to do.”

            Rogen has penned and starred in several chart-topping movies, including 2007’s Superbad.

            “Right now, we’re filming and I’m one of the producers and the writer and the actor, so it’s busy, but it’s a lot of fun,” Rogen said. “To me, when it all comes together like that is probably when it’s the most creatively satisfying.”

            Fortunately for Rogen, being the one who writes his roles has its perks.

            “Honestly, I’m the person who writes most of my movies, so every role is exactly what I want to be doing,” he said.

            Rogen is a man who truly loves what he does and accepts the responsibilities that come along with it, especially when it comes to his next big film, The Green Hornet.

            “Even if it sucks for another reason, people will blame me and that’s why I have to be so involved - [to] try to make sure that it doesn’t suck,” Rogen said. “I’ve been talking about this movie for years and if it sucks, then no one will be more disappointed than me, believe me.”

            Apart from the hyped Green Hornet, Rogen also has another comedy in the works. But this is one that’s a bit more personal to him.

            “We’ve been calling it I’m With Cancer - that’s what it is in my head,” Rogen said. “A friend of ours, Will Reiser, who we met while working on the Ali G show … got cancer and beat it, luckily, and wrote a movie pretty much chronicling his experience. James McAvoy will be playing him in the movie and I’ll pretty much be playing me, who’s his useless friend throughout the process. We start filming next year.”

            With over a dozen films in the past two years and showing no signs of slowing down, Seth Rogen is quickly becoming the curly haired face of Hollywood comedy.

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