Credit: Shrinking (2023)
Jason Segel rose to fame after starring in Judd Apatow’s cult phenomenon series, Freaks and Geeks, alongside James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Martin Starr. While the show, unfortunately, got canceled prematurely after only one season, it ignited a string of successful careers for the cast members, Segel being one of them.
Here are 10 interesting Jason Segel facts.
1. He’s a Skilled Basketball Player
Segel’s impressive height of 6 feet 4 inches boded well for him during his high-school years while playing basketball for the school team. He even won a slam dunk contest which led him to be crowned with the nickname ‘Dr. Dunk’.
2. He is an Ordained Minister
Segel is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church and even performed a wedding ceremony on The Tonight Show in 2010. This came about after a couple sought after his services by placing wanted pictures of him around his hometown and at a bar he drank at frequently.
3. He Re-teamed with Apatow After Freaks and Geeks
In 2007, the smash hit comedy Knocked Up was released and it shot Segel into a new league of fame. The film was directed by Freaks and Geeks producer Judd Apatow and was a reunion of sorts as well. Segel starred alongside Freaks and Geeks castmates Seth Rogen and Martin Starr.
4. He Wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall
In 2008, Forgetting Sarah Marshall wowed comedy fans all over the world. Segel was now a household name, and the movie gained strong box-office success and critical acclaim. But many people don’t realize that Segel wrote the script on top of starring in the movie. It marked his first screenwriting credit and he has since gone on to write four more feature films and has created a TV series.
Credit: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
5. He Wrote the Music for Another Smash Hit Comedy
In 2010, Get Him to the Greek was released, a spin-off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. Get Him to the Greek followed the exploits of British rock star Aldous Snow. Segel didn’t appear in the movie but wrote most of the music performed by the fictional band in the movie Infant Sorrow.
6. He is a Best Selling Author
Segel is by no means a one-trick pony and juggles many creative endeavors. He is a published author and released his novel with his writing partner Kristen Miller titled Otherworld.
Credit: Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020)
7. Freaks and Geeks Helped Him Land Another Huge Role
How I Met Your Mother was a smash hit TV show which ran from 2005 to 2014. Segel landed the role of Marshall Eriksen thanks to his part in Freaks and Geeks. It turns out How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays, and Craig Thomas were massive fans of Freaks and Geeks.
8. He Was Once a Big Smoker
Segel’s How I Met Your Mother co-star Alyson Hannigan played Segel’s on-screen girlfriend/wife for the duration of the show but had some complaints about the actor. Hannigan said kissing Segel on screen was like “kissing an ashtray” while speaking with Digital Spy in 2008.
She went on to say: “I cannot stand cigarette smoke. It’s like kissing an ashtray and he’s trying to be polite by having gum or mints, but it doesn’t help.” Despite this, the two had great chemistry on screen and remain one of TV’s couple goals to this day!
9. He Dated a Co-Star
Segel and on-screen Freaks and Geeks girlfriend, Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me), dated for five years in real life. Many speculated that the character Sarah Marshall in Forgetting Sarah Marshall was based on Cardellini, but Segel debunked this when speaking with The Los Angeles Times. He stated that Sarah Marshall was created more from an amalgamation of different girlfriends he had and breakups he went through in his life.
10. He Created a Brand New Series in 2023
Segel has returned to writing and has co-created a comedy-drama called Shrinking with fellow writers Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence. The show stars Segel as a grieving therapist who ignores all training and ethics and begins to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. He soon starts to make massive changes to people’s lives – including his own.
Shrinking is now streaming on Apple TV Plus and co-stars Harrison Ford and Michael Urie.Freaks and Geeks
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