The Transformation Of Jonah Hill From The 40 Year Old Virgin To Today
Jonah Hill is a Hollywood household name. Fans love him for the comedy genius he's exhibited in cult-classic films like "Superbad," "This is the End," and "21 Jump Street," as well as the dramatic performances he's delivered in critically acclaimed movies like "Moneyball" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." He may be plenty established in the entertainment industry today, but it was a long road to get here, and it wasn't always easy.
From breaking into the industry to getting type-cast as a comedy actor and body-shamed by the press, Hill has had his fair share of struggles with the spotlight. At every pivotal moment, though, he's continued to forge onward, surprising audiences with performance pivots, directorial debuts, and experimental endeavors. From his first role to recent controversies and upcoming projects, here's how Jonah Hill went from class clown to Academy Award-nominated actor, writer, and producer, and where his story might go from here.
He got his break with The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Jonah Hill was always one step away from Hollywood. He had dreams of making it big in the industry since he was a kid, writing his own "Simpsons" scripts and pasting pictures of renowned film directors like Martin Scorsese on the walls of his childhood bedroom (per The Guardian).
During this early period, these ambitions were more like pipe dreams. His family worked on the outskirts of the entertainment business, but they weren't super well connected within Hollywood. Fortunately for Hill, one of his schoolmates was the son of screen legend Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman liked Hill's charisma and invited him to audition for one of his films, "I Heart Huckabees."
It was a small, low-budget indie movie — nothing to brag about. However, the role set him up to make his first appearance in a major motion picture, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." While he only appears briefly in one scene as an unnamed character, this iconic rom-com allowed Hill to work alongside reputable actors like Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Hill had officially gotten his foot in the door.
He got his first starring role in Superbad
Following his appearance in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Jonah Hill was able to snag roles in under-the-radar films like "Grandma's Boy," "Accepted," "10 Items or Less," and "Rocket Science," as well as some more well-known films like "Click," "Knocked Up," and "Evan Almighty." While this all served as a good jumping-off point for him, these were smaller parts, not starring roles. The first time Hill took center stage came in 2007 with his role as Seth in the cast of the teen comedy "Superbad."
"Superbad" was a super big deal. The film was produced by Hollywood veteran Judd Apatow and written by comedian Seth Rogen, both of whom Hill had worked with on "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." Rogen had begun writing the script alongside his childhood friend, Evan Goldberg, while they were only teenagers. Since the story was based in part on their personal experiences, Rogen was initially supposed to play the role of Seth. The character is literally named after him, after all. However, because Rogen had aged out of his teen body, they needed someone else.
This was an incredible break for Hill, as "Superbad" went on to become a comedy classic, held up as one of the best comedies of the 2000s. With this running start, Hill was officially on his way up.
He appeared in a slew of comedy films
After his breakout role in "Superbad," Jonah Hill started getting more and more work in comedy films. He appeared alongside Russell Brand in the 2010 comedy "Get Him to the Greek" before once again taking a starring role as Noah Griffith in the 2011 raunchy teen comedy "The Sitter."
Although these credits are nothing to be shy about, one of Hill's standout films as a comedy actor came with his part as Schmidt in the 2012 action-comedy "21 Jump Street." Hill stars in the film alongside "Magic Mike" actor Channing Tatum — a combination that yielded hilarious results. The film was a huge hit. While some might argue that it already had a built-in fan base, as it's loosely based on a television series from the '90s, it was still enough of a success by itself to be revived for a sequel only two years later.
Hill also reunited with "Superbad" writer Seth Rogen in the 2013 post-apocalyptic comedy "This is the End," which notably featured a long list of celebrities including James Franco, Michael Cera, Paul Rudd, Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Emma Watson, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson.
He wanted to transform his image
Jonah Hill's early work in comedies helped him make a name for himself as an actor. However, when speaking with Today in 2012 about his role in the 2011 sports drama "Moneyball," Hill explained that after a decade of playing comedy roles, he was growing tired of the same old shtick. "Doing the same thing over and over again is as boring to do as it's boring to watch," he said. Hill wanted to break out of the comedy type-cast and change the way people perceived him. "I first became known to people as a funny kid in a high school movie," the actor said, "and I've worked hard to break away from that."
Hill was trying to change his image, and part of that journey involved a significant amount of weight loss. Prior to his role in "Moneyball," Hill lost a whopping 40 lbs. Several years later, after gaining back that weight for his 2015 film "War Dogs," Hill had to start over from the top. He made a further push to get back into shape by calling up his ultra-fit "21 Jump Street" co-star Channing Tatum to ask for some fitness tips. After following Tatum's advice to go to a trainer, as well as maintaining a food journal, Hill was once again able to achieve his desired results.
He started getting more serious roles
"Moneyball" marked a turning point for Jonah Hill's type-casting, and his performance even earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. When speaking with Today, Hill described the film as a watershed moment in his career where he was finally able to show off his versatility as an actor. "'Moneyball' really, really helped me show people I'm not just one thing that they thought I was," Hill said.
In 2013, Hill snatched up another serious role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street." Hill told BBC that when working out his contract, he had actually accepted a very low offer, just in the hopes that he might be able to work with such a prominent director. He said of Scorsese, "I would sell my house and give him all my money to work for him."
This pay cut really paid off, as Hill once again received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. This proved he wasn't just a one-hit wonder when it came to dramatic performances, but a tried and true star. Hill continued his dive into drama with other serious roles in films like "True Story," "War Dogs," and "Hail, Caesar!"
Hill made his directorial debut with Mid90s
After years of working as an actor, Jonah Hill stepped behind the camera in 2018 to make his directorial debut with the bittersweet dramedy "Mid90s." At first glance, the film is your average indie drama with some grunge skateboarding aesthetics thrown in. However, a more careful examination reveals a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young boy figuring out his place in the world. The movie disarms viewers with the casual setting of teenage fun and skatepark shenanigans but then juxtaposes this with raw commentary and hard questions about race, class, gender, sexuality, and the existential angst of where anyone could possibly "fit in."
In addition to directing, Hill also produced and wrote the screenplay for the film. While it's not meant to be autobiographical, Hill told NPR that it does pull inspiration from his personal upbringing, saying, "It's personal in the sense that I felt lonely and alone and needed to find connection outside of my house. But that's not my brother, that's not my mom." The project opened up new creative avenues for Hill. "It's more just like characters I wanted to create, things that I noticed about people growing up and feelings about growing up," he told NPR.
He's also a frequent voice actor
Many actors can be recognized by just the sound of their voices. Jonah Hill is no exception, and he often takes breaks from filming to step into the sound booth, lending his unique, off-beat voice to a broad variety of animated films.
Hill got his first gig as a voice actor in 2008 with the character of Tommy in the Dr. Seuss-inspired children's film "Horton Hears a Who!" His voice was apparently acceptable enough, as he continued to book various voiceover roles in animated films like "Megamind," "The Lego Movie" and its sequel, and all three of the "How to Train Your Dragon" movies.
Not all of Hill's voice-acting roles have been PG, however, or even PG-13. In 2016, he voiced Carl in the R-rated black comedy "Sausage Party." This particular work stands out amongst its counterparts as a raunchy piece of adult animation. From family-friendly films to corrupted cartoons, Hill can apparently do it all.
Jonah Hill has been vocal about his personal struggles
While he's admitted to losing weight for his "Wolf of Wall Street" role back in 2011, it wasn't until more recently that Jonah Hill really started to open up about his battle with physical insecurities. In 2018, while appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Hill revealed that he's been battling with his body image and overall self-image since he was a teenager. "Being this 14-year-old kid, being overweight, wanting to fit in with these skaters and hip-hop kids and just feeling lonely and maybe not understanding my own worth."
Being insecure as a teenager is something that many people struggle with during those awkward adolescent years, but Hill stressed that being in Hollywood adds another layer to the angst. Even though he's now a famous actor, that doesn't immediately fix everything. In fact, when the spotlight is on you at all times, it can actually make things worse. "You're trying to kind of hide from the world," Hill told DeGeneres. "And even if you get success, or you grow up, or you become good-looking, or whatever, the things that you think will fix the thing, you kind of carry some part of that with you."
Though he's had his struggles, Hill does seem to be taking up a more body-positive approach as of late. In 2021, after shirtless photos of him surfaced online, the actor took to social media to claim that public mockery doesn't bother him anymore. "I'm 37 and finally love and accept myself," Hill wrote on Instagram (via USA Today).
He got real with Stutz
In the wake of Jonah Hill becoming more open about his personal struggles and anxieties came the 2022 Netflix documentary "Stutz." After battling with mental health for years, Hill told Entertainment Weekly he had "no confidence as a human being." In an effort to seek help, Hill started regularly attending therapy, and after having success with his psychiatrist, Dr. Phil Stutz, an idea occurred to him. He decided this was a man the world would benefit from knowing, so Hill decided to direct an entire documentary about Stutz.
The film captures the career of Stutz — his general philosophy and teachings, his approach to patient interaction, and his insights into coping with mental health. However, the documentary isn't as straightforward as it might sound. It's incredibly experimental in nature, offering a raw, unfiltered look into the patient-psychiatrist dynamic and personal relationship between Hill and Stutz, often including intimate moments and candid conversations.
"I'm making this movie because I want to give therapy and the tools I've learned in therapy to as many people as possible through a film," Hill says in the documentary. However, he also acknowledges the potentially unethical issues and power dynamics of putting your personal psychiatrist on camera.
He's turned down several major roles
Jonah Hill is clearly aware of his Hollywood image, so it should come as no surprise that he's picky about which projects he signs on for. Part of that process means jumping at opportunities that feel right, but an even bigger part is having the restraint to say no to the ones that don't.
In 2009, Hill was approached by legendary director Steven Spielberg about potentially appearing in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which Spielberg was producing. It's the kind of call many actors would dream of, but Hill actually turned the part down. Seth Rogen told The New York Times in 2021 that Hill had consulted with him about taking the part, and Rogen told him that rather than signing on to someone else's project, he should try to prove himself on his own. "You want to make a movie about fightin' robots?" Rogen asked Hill. "Make your own movie about fightin' robots. You can do that. That's on the table now."
Later that year, "The Hangover" director Todd Phillips was practically begging to bring Hill on board, offering him any three of the film's leading roles. However, Hill told Bullett that he was still anxious about being type-cast in comedies, saying, "A genuine fear of mine was that I was going to be known as 'The Guy from Superbad' for the rest of my life" (via IGN). He declined all three roles.
Allegations of sexual misconduct
After years of being open about his struggles with insecurity and body image, Jonah Hill garnered a reputation as somewhat of an advocate for mental health. However, recent allegations from multiple women have thrown that reputation into question.
In July 2023, Hill's ex-girlfriend Sarah Brady shared screenshots of texts she claimed had come from Hill during their relationship. The texts made various demands of her, naming "boundaries" that she shouldn't post pictures of herself in a bathing suit, model, or surf or have "Boundaryless inappropriate friendships" with men (via The Independent). Brady is a professional surfer and surfing instructor.
These texts were met with public outrage, with many people online calling Hill a hypocrite whose actions don't align with his values. In response, former "Zoey 101" star Alexa Nikolas came forward with her own allegations, tweeting that Hill had kissed her forcefully and without consent at a party at Justin Long's house when she was 16 and he was 24, and that he and the host had encouraged her to drink heavily. Though a lawyer representing him has denied Nikolas' allegations, Hill has made no official comment on the Brady situation.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Hill has several upcoming projects in development
While it's possible that opportunities for Jonah Hill could start changing in the wake of his recent controversies, he does have some projects that are already underway. He's partnered with Apple to direct and co-produce a new film, "Outcome," starring Keanu Reeves as a disgraced Hollywood star who must make amends for his past mistakes. The film is also co-written by Hill, which is somewhat ironic given the recent allegations from Sarah Brady and Alexa Nikolas. It will be interesting to see how the film plays out in its final form.
In exciting news for "The Wolf of Wall Street" fans, Hill will also soon be reuniting with Martin Scorsese for a new film about The Grateful Dead. In addition to co-producing the film, Hill is set to star in it as Jerry Garcia, the band's frontman. The project will follow up Scorsese's 2023 feature "Killers of the Flower Moon."