Although Seth Rogen has been primarily known for his comedy work, he’s recently taken a more serious approach to projects.
His new animated film “Tangles” premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 14. The film explores a woman’s struggle with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, which hit home for the Rogen family.
In an interview, Seth Rogen admitted he couldn’t hold back tears during the screening.
Seth Rogen’s Film ‘Tangles’ Moves Audiences To Tears
“Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me,” by Sarah Leavitt, is a memoir in graphic novel form that follows the author’s challenging journey with her mother’s Alzheimer’s.
Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, adapted the book into an animated film. Lauren’s late mother Adele struggled with early-onset Alzheimer’s, which deeply connected them to the source material.
“I’ve seen the movie, obviously, a lot of times,” Rogen shared with PEOPLE, noting he was in tears the entire time. “But that was the first time I’ve seen it not on my laptop computer with Lauren sitting beside me in our living room.”
The film received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
“I’m just glad the movie is effective and works. We’ve been working on it for like 10 years,” the actor continued. “To watch it with a big group of people is a very lovely feeling. And that it seems to have emotionally impacted them, it’s very nice.”
Sarah Leavitt also thoroughly enjoyed seeing her work come to life on the big screen.
“Every time I watch that film, it’s like seeing it for the first time,” she told PEOPLE. “We were all crying. It was such a mixture of intense emotions all at the same time.”
The Actor Remembers Catherine O’Hara
Seth Rogen was also especially affected by Catherine O’Hara’s passing in January. He penned a heartbreaking message on social media honoring her memory.
“Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen,” Rogen shared on Instagram shortly after her passing. “‘Home Alone’ was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
Afterward, he went on to dedicate his BAFTA award to her.
“She meant so much to all of us, I assume she meant the same to you here,” the 44-year-old shared during his acceptance speech for “The Studio.”
At this year’s Actor Awards, Catherine O’Hara also won “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series” for her work in “The Studio,” awarded posthumously. Seth Rogen happily accepted the award on her behalf.
“I’ve been given the sad honor of accepting this award on O’Hara’s behalf. I know she would have been honored to receive this award from her fellow performers, who I know she respected so much. She was such big fans of all of yours,” Rogen thanked the audience, as reported by Variety.
