Seth Rogen Takes Aim at Critics, Says Harsh Reviews Can Be “Devastating” to Mental Health

I really hope this is the last Seth Rogen article I’ll be publishing in the foreseeable future, and since he’s practically done promoting “The Invite,” it probably will be — but the man has been completely unfiltered in his interviews.

In a recent chat, Rogen spoke about the emotional toll professional criticism has had on his mental health, arguing that public reviews can feel far more personal and damaging than most people realize.

He said, “I’m at the point in my career where not a lot of people are in a position to yell at me in my job, but the New York Times will publish an entire article saying I suck at my job.”

He expanded on how all the hard work he has done to rise to the top should not then be bashed by media. Rogen explained, “I worked my way up to not having to deal with that much personal conflict face to face, but I will have a cultural institution tell everyone that I suck.”

A few years ago, Rogen had taken aim at critics, emphasizing, much like he does here, how negative reviews can be devastating to his mental health:

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.

So, in essence, Rogen believes critics should reconsider their tone and fully grasp the impact of their words: “If most critics knew how much it hurt the people that made the things they are writing about, they would second guess the way they write these things. It’s devastating.”

It’s quite simple, really, art should be analyzed—both in public discourse and on a personal level. That’s essentially what film critics are here for: they spark conversation and, in some cases, even push filmmakers and actors toward becoming stronger artists. In any case, Rogen hasn’t exactly been a frequent target of harsh criticism throughout his career. Aside from projects like “The Green Hornet,” he’s generally been well received. Hell, he’s coming off the best reviews of his career with “Thr Studio” and “The Invite.”

These comments land with a layer of irony, given that Rogen was recently critical of Sylvester Stallone’s filmography—agreeing that Sly has only made “four good movies.” There’s a certain inconsistency in calling for critics to carefully weigh the emotional impact of their words while simultaneously participating in the same reductive, reputation-shaping commentary that minimizes another artist’s body of work for effect.