Michael Cera let his fear of fame dictate his rule against franchises. The “Phoenician Scheme” actor has long voiced his aversion to celebrity, but the star is now revealing that he turned down a role in “Harry Potter” prequel franchise “ Fantastic Beasts ” because of it.

Michael Cera has revealed that he was almost part of the Harry Potter universe. Speaking on Tuesday with Louis Theroux on his eponymous podcast, the Superbad actor shared that he was in talks to appear in Fantastic Beasts, the spinoff film franchise based on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.

Michael Cera is opening up about why he tried to limit his fame earlier in his career, and how it actually led him to turn down a role in a major franchise. The actor made a recent appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, where the host asked him if he has purposefully “resisted franchises” when taking on projects.