I Forgot Seth Rogen Was in This Trippy Sci-fi Movie (And His Reaction Is Priceless)

“I like your boobs.” That gem of a first line kicked off Seth Rogen‘s movie career before he became the laugh factory we all know today. Before he was rolling joints in Pineapple Express or creating havoc in Superbad, an 18-year-old Rogen was just a high school bully named Ricky Danforth in the mind-bending cult classic Donnie Darko. This fascinating bit of trivia resurfaced recently when Rogen appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, and the host had this amazing “wait a minute” moment, suddenly remembering that she not only starred in the 2001 psychological thriller but actually produced it too. As the two pieced together their shared history from over 20 years ago, viewers got to witness this delightful blast-from-the-past moment that highlighted just how far Rogen has come.

When the show pulled up photos from his Donnie Darko days, Rogen couldn’t help but crack jokes about his appearance, noting how his “head lost 40 pounds” and is “a whole other shape” now. This charming exchange wasn’t just funny — it was a perfect reminder of how even massive Hollywood stars have those awkward early gigs that they look back on with a mix of fondness and mild embarrassment.

During his chat with Barrymore, Rogen shared some pretty cool memories from the set, including bumping into Patrick Swayze “on a razor scooter,” which he described as something that “blew my mind.”

He also mentioned having a hunch about Jake Gyllenhaal’s future success, saying, “I remember thinking, yeah, this guy’s going to be famous. I remember thinking that.”

[RELATED – Donnie Darko Producer Says Fan-Hated Sequel S. Darko Is More Profitable Than the Original]

What makes this whole thing even better is how refreshingly honest Rogen has been about the film itself. In a 2007 Collider interview, he admitted that while making Donnie Darko was “a great experience,” he “didn’t get it back then, and still don’t.”

About his role, he casually explained: “We kind of torment Jake Gyllenhaal and [Jena] Malone’s characters throughout. And then at the end, I throw Jena Malone out in the road where she gets hit by a car; it’s kind of not that big of a role.”

This candid admission about not understanding the film’s complex plot apparently wasn’t unique to Rogen. According to reports, at the Donnie Darko wrap party, Rogen, Gyllenhaal, and Swayze all supposedly agreed they had no clue what the movie was actually about. Ironically, this complex, hard-to-follow narrative is partly why the film developed such a devoted following and is now considered a modern classic.

Before landing this movie role, Rogen had already dipped his toes in acting with the critically acclaimed but short-lived TV series Freaks and Geeks, which was produced by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks. Rogen has mentioned that Spielberg himself was actively involved in casting decisions, noting that the legendary filmmaker “had to approve” of him.

This rediscovery of Rogen’s earliest film appearance is a fun reminder of how unpredictable Hollywood careers can be. From delivering a crude one-liner as a forgettable bully to becoming one of comedy’s biggest names, Rogen’s journey shows how careers can take wildly unexpected turns in the entertainment world. Meanwhile, Donnie Darko keeps puzzling and fascinating viewers more than two decades later, with both the film and its cast achieving a staying power that nobody could have predicted when they were filming this strange little movie about a troubled teen and a creepy rabbit.

You can stream Donnie Darko on Prime Video and Hulu.