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Seth Rogen tells PEOPLE exclusively about how he spent his first big paycheck as a paid actor
The Canadian actor, who stars in Platonic with Rose Byrne, made his acting debut on Freaks and Geeks in 1999
Season 2 of Platonic premiered its first two episodes on Wednesday, Aug. 6, on Apple TV+, and new episodes will arrive weekly through its Oct. 1 finale
It’s safe to say Seth Rogen is an industry heavyweight. However, he wasn’t always so certain that the success he’s achieved over the years was a real possibility for him.
Joined by his Platonic costar Rose Byrne to discuss the show’s long-awaited second season, Rogen tells PEOPLE exclusively about how he spent his first big paycheck as a paid actor.
“What did I do? I paid rent with my first paycheck,” Rogen, 43, admits. “I saved a lot of it because I was unconvinced I would ever receive a second paycheck.”
“So, I really tried to make my first paycheck last as long as humanly possible, basically,” he says.
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Also taking the responsible route, Byrne, 46, remembers her first big paycheck being used to “pay off” her credit card. “That first feeling of getting a job and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, okay, I can rent the car. I can do the thing.’ It’s a game-changer,” she shares.
“Yeah, it was big!” Rogen adds.
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(L-R) Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne appear at the after party for Apple TV+’s ‘Platonic’ Season 2 at the Hammer Museum on July 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Rogen made his acting debut on Freaks and Geeks as Ken Miller.
Although the series was short-lived and ended in 2000 after one season, the Canadian actor nabbed roles in films like Donnie Darko, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
He also worked behind the scenes, serving as a writer on projects like Sacha Baron Cohen’s last season of Da Ali G Show, for which he earned an Emmy nomination.
Rogen got his career breakthrough years later, starring opposite Katherine Heigl in 2007’s R-rated romcom Knocked Up. He then continued to star in (and frequently write and produce) blockbuster comedies like Superbad, Pineapple Express, Neighbors and Sausage Party.
He also directed The Interview and This Is the End alongside longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg.
As of 2023, Rogen has been starring in Platonic alongside his Neighbors costar Byrne. The comedic pair also helps executive-produce the series.
The series follows former childhood best friends Will (Rogen) and Sylvia (Byrne), who reconnect years later as they navigate the many hurdles of adulthood, from career to love and beyond. And oftentimes, the dynamic duo finds themselves faced with challenging situations that they work through to hilarious effect.
Luke Macfarlane, Tre Hale, Andrew Lopez and Carla Gallo also star.
After working together for years now, have Rogen and Byrne learned anything new about each other?
“No,” Rogen confesses.
“Absolutely nothing,” Byrne agrees as Rogen continues, “The little things, anecdotally.”
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Both in agreement that they’re “pretty low-key,” Byrne says that “there’s no radical changes that go on.” To that, Rogen jokes: “I’m just aging fast!”
Season 2 of Platonic comes after a two-plus-year hiatus, following co-creators Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco’s plans for it to be an anthology series.
However, those plans changed due to the undeniable onscreen chemistry between Rogen and Byrne. And with season 2 now here, the stars are hopeful fans won’t have to wait as long if a third installment were to come.
“I would love to keep doing the show,” says Rogen, who recently earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance on his Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, which he also created.
“It’s lovely,” he adds. “And, I think, these characters are far … have a long way to go until they’re functional adults.”
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Season 2 of Platonic premiered its first two episodes on Wednesday, Aug. 6, on Apple TV+. New episodes will arrive weekly through its Oct. 1 finale.
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