In ‘Platonic,’ Seth Rogen’s Actual Style Evolution Bleeds Into His Character

In the mid-2000s, Seth Rogen came into our lives as a guy with an immense talent for playing lovable screw-ups whose ability to make us laugh made up for much of their arrested development. But after spending much of the last decade or so stepping into the shoes of more competent figures like Steve Wozniak, and off-screen producing massive hits like Amazon’s The Boys, Rogen has returned to what might be considered his sweet spot on Apple TV’s Platonic. On the show, Rogen plays Will, a fortysomething brewmaster and recent divorcee, trying to rebuild his life while ducking as many responsibilities as possible. It’s this breakup that leads to the rekindling of his (yes, totally platonic) relationship with former bestie Sylvia ( Rose Byrne), a mom looking to break free from the mundanity of domestic life.

Much like the 2014 comedy Neighbors that featured them as a couple, Rogen and Byrne’s chemistry is the heart of Platonic. Yet as great as it is watching them get into hijinks like doing Ketamine in a bathroom stall or breaking into Will’s ex’s house to steal a pet lizard named Gandalf, the show also has a totally different appeal to a certain style-minded type: Will’s eccentric outfits.

Not only is Will older and more financially successful than some of the previous “man-children” Rogen has played, he’s noticeably more into the way he dresses and looks—a byproduct of having both disposable income and a deep-seated desire to stay youthful. During the show’s promotional run , Rogen posted a few of his favorite Will fits to Instagram, piquing the interest of those outside the typical romcom-adjacent demo through a series of colorblocked bucket hats, embroidered popover shirts, and brightly-colored socks. In the weeks since the show’s debut, screengrabs of Will have become meme fodder for menswear moodboard pages, who’ve turned him into something like the poster boy for a certain sect of well-off, tapped-in LA dudes who scoop up Bode knits and beaded necklaces with the passion others their age reserve for farmer’s market produce.

Will’s bonafides as a jawnz enthusiast also seem inspired by, or closely related to, Rogen’s own style glow-up over the last few years. Even among the recent crop of fashion-conscious funny men, Rogen stands apart as someone with a confident sense of style, someone who “gets it”—what clothes are trending, which brands are bubbling up, and how to freak an unexpectedly colorful suit on a red carpet. As such, he worked closely with costume designer Kameron Lennox to create Will’s look, but describes his own sartorial sense as essentially a very pared-down version of the character’s. (Rogen actually contractually negotiated being able to keep all of the character’s wardrobe after the show wrapped.)

GQ talked to Rogen about the show, the origins of Will’s style, and what it’s like to be regarded as one 2023’s best dressed men.

GQ: Will in many ways seems similar to some of the guys you’ve played throughout your career. But is there anything different at this point about playing someone who’s still figuring life out?

Seth Rogen: I think I’ve played a lot of, I guess, man-children over the years. But what’s really interesting to me is the connotation of that does greatly shift. As I get older, and I’m in my forties now, I see a lot of guys who are really still struggling to get their life together and it’s not as lighthearted as it was when we were in our twenties and they were acting like teenagers. Now it’s people who are in their forties acting like they’re in their twenties. It is very funny in some ways, but it’s also very sad in a way that it kind of isn’t when you’re younger. It’s annoying to be young and obnoxious, but it’s not inherently depressing.