Jason Segel and Seth Rogen Got High and Bonded Over ‘The Matrix’ Because of Course They Did

I bonded with some of my best friends in “college” (I went to a theater conservatory) over weed, man. Smoke never touched my lungs before I graduated from high school, and now, it may never leave! Or, ya know, it will be replaced by gummied THC. I’ve also taken to weed-laced seltzers. While I used to have to smoke in a secret or private location before going to the movies, I can toss a weed seltzer in my bag, grab my Taylor Swift Eras Tour cup that I purchased for a dollar, fill it with free ice and half regular seltzer, toss my THC seltzer in there, and have a grand old time.

What was I talking about again?

Right. Bonding with friends over weed. I’ve been going to the same New York City movie theaters for almost twenty years. Early on, I would go with the friends I made at school. I specifically remember going to see Pineapple Express at the Lincoln Center AMC. My friends and I got baked as hell, sat in my favorite seat in the city (that AMC’s balcony), and the movie was… okay. I love Rogen, but it’s not one of my faves. But my friends? I was sure that we were thick as thieves and going to be friends forever. I was incorrect.

I don’t know what one of the people I went to that movie with is up to. For someone who matured in the age of Facebook, that’s basically unheard of. I even tried to look them up while writing this. Nothing. And honestly? Good for them. I remained very close to the other two I went with for some time. One of them was the one to introduce me to ole Mary Jane. But, while I still partake, I barely talk to them at all anymore. For instance, if we were to be interviewed by Variety, I don’t know if we’d have much to talk about. That isn’t the case for Seth Rogen and Jason Segel (f***ing naaaaailed it).

The two actors recently sat down to talk about being actors, but, of course, they discussed their friendship in the process. Specifically, they talked about meeting while making Freaks & Geeks and bonding over weed and The Matrix. Hell yeah. “While we were shooting the pilot, The Matrix came out,” Segel recalled. “We didn’t know each other that well. We didn’t know anybody else that well. We were all just meeting each other. And all we knew is that you and I both liked to smoke weed.”

Rogen noted that, “[The movie] came out the day the pilot wrapped, so in my head, the whole pilot was just a march to The Matrix being released.” The pair go on to note that they got incredibly stoned, saw the film, and walked out changed men. Rogen goes so far as to refer to it as their Star Wars. But, they didn’t go their separate ways. Yes, they have worked on projects independently of each other, but they remain friends. The connection is clear. Maybe if my friends and I had seen a better movie, we’d still be close as well.