Michael Cera was surprised by how much screen time he has in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’

When Michael Cera first got the script for new Wes Anderson joint The Phoenician Scheme, he was, well, shocked.

“The biggest surprise — when Wes sent me the script — I didn’t expect to be along for the whole ride,” he tells Entertainment Weekly, admitting he didn’t realize his character would be part of the entire movie. He adds with a smile, “And that was thrilling to get to watch Wes basically make this whole movie.”

In it, Cera plays Norwegian entomologist Bjorn, who is first brought in as a personal tutor to wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro). Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate, and then embarks on a new financial scheme with said daughter and Bjorn in tow for all the action (and, unfortunately for them, all of the bonkers assassination attempts on Korda’s life, as well).

Getting to work so closely with writer-director Anderson, del Toro, Threapleton was “very fulfilling” for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World star. “To collaborate with people like Wes and Benicio and Mia and watch them do their thing and watch the movie come together, it’s very gratifying,” he says. “It was nice to be along for the whole production with them.”

With his hilarious accent, kooky mannerisms, and glasses purposely designed to make his eyes appear too small, Cera is so picture-perfect as Bjorn that you’d think he was born to play a part in the Wes Anderson cinematic universe. And yet, somehow, this was the first time he’d worked with the Oscar-winning auteur.

As such, Cera didn’t take a single second for granted. “You just get one chance to make this movie, and want to make sure you deliver on the great material that Wes has created,” he says of his mindset on set. “It’s really good material. I think that’s the challenge in a way: You just want to make sure you nail it. But working with Wes, you work away at it until you do feel good. He’s very relentless in that pursuit. So then you feel confident as an actor that you’re going to get it. You’re working with someone that’s not going to move on until it’s in there.”

Anderson sets are famous for two things: featuring a rotating stable of Hollywood’s biggest actors, and legendary dinner parties with the cast. Cera says he attended a few of these gatherings, but preferred to join his wife and two small children “whenever possible” during breaks. However, there were other nights where his director would take his dinner in the editing suite, and would invite Cera to join him.

“I would just have dinner with Wes while he is editing the movie and see the movie kind of come together a little bit, and that was great, and it’s just exciting,” he gushes. “It’s exciting seeing things you weren’t part of, too, seeing the movie come together and seeing a little bit how Wes works, too — it’s very particular. I feel like every step of the way, every part of the process, Wes works in a way that’s very particular to him.”

So, now that he’s had a taste, can we expect Cera to be added to the Anderson-verse rotation, which frequently includes the likes of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, and Anjelica Huston, among others? “I hope to work with Wes again,” Cera admits. “I don’t know what he’s cooking now, but it would be fun. I’d love to continue working with him. He does great work, and it’s a wonderful experience, and it’s challenging and it’s fun, and you have a great time. He’s really such a great host.”

In the meantime, though, fans technically don’t have to wait long to see Anderson and Cera together again. The actor teases that he got to act alongside Anderson in a Montblanc commercial, with fellow Phoenician Scheme star and brand ambassador Rupert Friend. “That was a lot of fun, actually, just getting to act with Wes. We shot it in March or something, and I think it’s coming out soon, maybe June or something,” he says, adding with a smirk, “It turned out really funny, I think.”

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The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.