Article: Bob Tourtellotte from Reuters
Image: Reuters

"It feels like acting," deadpans Cera, and somehow his answer seems appropriate.

Cera, 20, stars in a major Hollywood release "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," a teen romance that landed in theaters across North America on Friday, and far more than in his Superbad and Juno, Cera is expected to lure fans.

His rise has been rapid, and made all the more remarkable because Cera is not the archetype of a movie hero. There are no six-pack abs, no chiseled jaw or bold decision-making.

Simply put, he is no Brad Pitt; not even Tobey Maguire.

There is only his wire-thin body and slumping frame. His hair is tousled and he rarely seems to smile.

But Cera does like music and can play guitar, and one thing about girls – no matter what decade they grow up in – they love guys who play guitar.

Cera's character Nick, is not much different than Cera.

Geeks on the girl
Certainly, good and geeky guys have gotten the girls in the past. In fact, they are littered throughout Hollywood history. Ten years ago, it was Jason Biggs in American Pie.

But Cera is the current standard-bearer of geekdom after his turn in hit comedy ($170 million global box office) Superbad, portraying a gawky teenager who goes out on a party night with a friend to score booze and a babe.

In Oscar-nominated Juno, Cera won fans as an awkward high-schooler who impregnates his friend – named Juno (Ellen Page) – then stands by as she makes quirky and often funny decisions dealing with her impending delivery.

This time around in Nick and Norah, Cera is a guitarist in a gay rock band whose girlfriend dumps him. And after an odd set of circumstances, he ends up pulling an all-nighter with his girlfriend's rival (Norah) as they search for an underground band playing a secret gig somewhere in Manhattan.

"That's a great way to bond with someone, you know," said Cera. "Sometimes it's hard to find something to talk about and when you have similar musical taste, it's a good lead-in and a good way to get to know someone."

Cera said that his life has changed in this past year with his stardom on the rise. He gets noticed more in public cafes and restaurants but for now, he seems to shrug off the fruits of Hollywood fame with answers like "it's acting."

"It's a very strange thing," he said of his celebrity status, "But I kind of went through it with 'Superbad.' We went through it together -- me and Jonah (Hill) and Chris (Mintz-Plasse). It's nice to have those guys to talk to," he said.