Interview with Michael Cera and Miguel Arteta (Youth in Revolt)

Canada's own, very funny Michael Cera had double the fun shooting his latest film Youth in Revolt. Cera plays a smart, skinny kid named Nick who lusts after a free-spirited girl, and his alter-ego, a suave Frenchman named Francois, who sports a moustache and has a sophisticated taste for meeting women and raising hell. In the film—based on a series of novels by C.D. Payne, which Cera read and enjoyed as a teenager—he plays a 16-year-old misfit who finally meets the girl of his dreams but is too sweet-natured and innocent to do anything about it. His alter-ego, on the other hand, is a bit of a cad. He's the kind of character Cera hasn't played before and the young actor was up for the challenge. Nick and Francois are often on screen at the same time, and Cera would have to make the quick switch from one character to another, but he says just putting on the new clothes and the moustache helped him get into character.

Tribute's Bonnie Laufer spoke to Michael Cera and director Miguel Arteta at the Toronto International Film Festival about working on Youth In Revolt and how much fun it was preparing Cera for this unusual double role.