He first gained notice as George Michael Bluth, a delightfully geeky teen secretly in love with his cousin on Arrested Development, Fox’s critically acclaimed, now-defunct sitcom. (His real love life is more successful—he’s been dating Charlyne Yi, who plays the stoner girlfriend in Knocked Up, since last fall.) This month, 19-year-old Bramptonite Michael Cera is back in Superbad, a semi-autobiographical tale about trying to get laid at the end of high school, penned by Knocked Up star Seth Rogen and his childhood friend and writing partner, Evan Goldberg. Helmed by producer du jour Judd Apatow (also of Knocked Up fame), it’s already garnering buzz as a crude and unusual antidote to the late-summer blahs.

Tell us about your character in Superbad.

I play Evan, who’s kind of who I was in high school. You hang out with your friends, and you’re afraid to talk to anyone else.

Have audiences been reacting well to test screenings?

The first scene is really vulgar, but that’s how people talk in high school. There are always a few people at screenings who get up in the first two minutes, like, “Nope. Not for me.”

How do you like L.A.?

When I was working on Arrested, it would be me and my mom and we’d stay in our apartment the whole time. It’s not as lonely now—I’ve got a lot of friends there. Superbad, which we shot in September, was the first time I was there by myself. I’ll probably end up getting a place in L.A., but I still want to live in Brampton.

What’s your favourite TV show?

I don’t watch TV at all anymore. If I have free time, I sit around on the computer, which is, you know, the same amount of pathetic.

How was it working with Judd Apatow?

Judd is in this great position now where he can basically make anything he wants. Before we started working on the movie, he had us over for dinner and we just talked. You’re instantly devoted to him; you just want to make him happy.

Do you have any side projects on the go?

I have a series up at clarkand michael.com. It’s my friend Clark and me playing idiot versions of ourselves. We think we’re these hot young studs, but we have no chance. Tony Hale and David Cross did a couple episodes. I’m not working on anything at the moment. I always write five pages and then lose confidence.