‘Platonic’s Seth Rogen On Will’s Wild Season 2 Wardrobe, His “Jenny from the Block” Rap, And Wanting Rose Byrne On ‘The Studio’

Before Seth Rogen racked up Emmy nominations for his star-studded Hollywood satire, The Studio, he starred in another winsome comedy on Apple TV+: Platonic.

Co-created, directed, and co-written by Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, the series reunited Rogen and Neighbors co-star Rose Byrne as best friends Will and Sylvia. Season 1 saw the dynamic duo reconnect after years apart and quickly fall back into their wild, co-dependent, unintentionally destructive ways. And in Season 2, as Sylvia helps Will and his fiancé Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom) plan their wedding, the pals navigate new sources of personal and professional chaos that inspire even bigger laughs.

“In a very nostalgic way, for me, it reminds me of a true sitcom from my youth in a lot of ways,” Rogen told Decider via Zoom. “I remember looking at the Jerry and Elaine dynamic from Seinfeld and being like, ‘Oh, what if it was a show about just them?’ To me, the characters are very funny, and they don’t seem anywhere near to solving the problems that they have.”

The problems in Platonic‘s sophomore include — but are by no means limited to — Will’s fiancé feeling intimidated by his friendship with Sylvia; Sylvia’s husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) living his Jeopardy dreams; and the pals welcoming new characters played by Saturday Night Live stars Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett into the picture.

One problem that Will doesn’t encounter this season, however, is assembling another eye-catching line-up of fresh, fearless fits. As Season 1 introduced the 40-something brewmaster’s wardrobe, fans fell in love with his bold bucket hats, colorful patterned shirts, and other eclectic menswear choices. Emmy-nominated costume designer Kameron Lennox (The Studio, Pam & Tommy) outdid herself in Season 2 with more statement-making wardrobe staples, accessories, and jewelry for Platonic‘s leading man. Will even upgraded to a new phallic 3-D banana phone case, which Rogen says was thankfully “a big hit,” as the team put “a lot of thought into” the selection.

While it’s hard to choose favorite pieces from Will’s closet, Rogen did shout out a special suit from the Season 2 premiere. “I like the pink suit with the shorts that I’m wearing in the first episode or two. It was completely insane, but also very good for the show,” he said of Will’s engagement party attire, adding, “The hats were very big this season. I think that the scale of the hats seem to seem to double in size, which was very funny, and something that was a constant topic of conversation on set.”

“Overall, the crew was always excited to see how silly I looked when I when I showed up. And it was and it was Halloween while we were shooting, and a lot of the crew showed up at work that day dressed as me, basically,” Rogen laughed. “It was very amazing. There were a lot of ridiculous shirts and giant bucket hats.”

Platonic fans will recall that as Will and Sylvia navigated midlife crises in Season 1, one of Rogen’s most memorable scenes involved him recreating the famous Coyote Ugly dance atop a bar. While he isn’t busting a move in Platonic Season 2’s two-episode premiere on August 6, much to Will’s dismay, we do see him rap an original verse of Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block” at his engagement party.

“I don’t think I wrote the lyrics. I think they had a guy write them,” Rogen, who has some serious freestyling skills himself, confirmed. “I think I was appropriately embarrassed by the whole thing — probably more so than the Coyote Ugly dance. I think just like in real life, having to perform a perform a curated rap at a wedding would be, to me, one of the more humiliating things I could be asked to do. And as an actor, it was a little humiliating. But it was funny! I remember talking to Nick, and I was like, ‘If this is not funny, we cannot use this. Because it is actively embarrassing to me.’”

Thankfully for Rogen, Will isn’t alone in his shenanigans. His partner in chaos, Byrne, is often by his side, and their chemistry is as captivating as ever. From Neighbors to Platonic, the comedy icons — both of whom serve as executive producers on the series — found a rare and rewarding partnership that Rogen would love to see carry over to The Studio if the opportunity arrises. (Especially after Stoller and Neighbors co-star Zac Efron guest starred in Season 1.)

“I think it would be great to have [Rose] on the show,” Rogen told Decider. “She’s so funny and I’m trying to think of how we can make her personality somehow distasteful, as is generally helpful on our show. But I’m sure we could find a way to do it.”

With The Studio already renewed for Season 2, Rogen isn’t retiring as one of Apple TV+’s Kings of Comedy any time soon. Though Platonic was initially conceived as a limited series, he and his co-stars hope to keep the series going as long as they can.

“I would love to keep doing Platonic. I think there are really great storylines for the season. And it’s something I would love to keep doing as long as people enjoy watching it,” Rogen said. 

New episodes of Platonic Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.