“The Devastating Impact of Negative Reviews: Seth Rogen Speaks Out”

Seth Rogen has opened up about the “devastating” impact of negative reviews.

Speaking on the The Diary of a CEO podcast, the actor discussed his own feelings of self-doubt throughout his career, and the effects of criticism on himself and others within the industry.

“It hurts everyone, very much,” he said. “I think if most critics knew how much it hurts the people that made the things that they are writing about, they would second guess the way they write these things. It’s devastating.

“I know people who’ve never recovered, honestly – a year, decades of being hurt by this. It’s very personal.

Rogen continued: “It is devastating when you are being institutionally told that your personal expression was bad… and that’s something that people carry with them, literally their entire lives.”

The actor said that after years in the industry “not a lot of people are in a position to yell at me”, but major publications still have the power to “tell everyone I suck”. He did add, however, that he is now “much better at dealing with [criticism]”.

Seth Rogen. Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Vulture

Earlier this week, a trailer was released for Rogen’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. The CG animated movie features an all-star voice cast, including himself, Paul Rudd, Rose Byrne, Jackie Chan, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Ayo Edebiri, Giancarlo Esposito, Ice Cube, Post Malone, Natasia Demetriou, Hannibal Buress and many more.

Elsewhere, Rogen recently appeared alongside Paul Dano and Michelle Williams in Steven Spielbergs’ Oscar-nominated movie The Fabelmans.

In a four-star review of the film, NME wrote: “It totally shatters the illusion of Hollywood’s Golden Age – not a pioneering movement helmed by genius mavericks, but an opportunistic racket built on luck. What Spielberg realises with The Fabelmans is that only makes it more interesting.”