Hollywood actor Seth Rogen, and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, announced Wednesday plans to throw friend and fellow star James Franco a bar mitzvah.
The Jewish rite of passage will be held in Los Angeles in October as part of a variety show for the couple’s Hilarity for Charity foundation.
The Rogens founded Hilarity for Charity, which promotes Alzheimer’s awareness, after Lauren’s mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 55.
Past shows for the foundation have featured such entertainers and comedians as Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and more.
“Ever since I’ve known James, he’s been talking about wanting a bar mitzvah,” Rogen, who is Jewish, said in a statement announcing the October show, according to Variety.
“We’re excited to see him finally become a man while also helping us raise awareness and funds for people living with Alzheimer’s and towards research that will lead to a cure.”
Franco’s mother is Jewish, and the actor has previously expressed regret for missing out on the seminal Jewish experience, noting his desire to undergo a real bar mitzvah ceremony.
In 2009, the star was thrown a surprise spoof bar mitzvah by a theatrical company. “I don’t know if this counts in rabbinical law,” Franco said, as reported by the Jewish Chronicle, “but if it doesn’t, I do plan to have a bar mitzvah.”
