"He thought I was Seth Rogan": Winning Time star Jason Segel dishes on meeting Kobe Bryant, roomie Kevin Hart and more

Jason Segal plays a minor character in Winning Time (Image via Twitter)
Jason Segal plays a minor character in Winning Time (Image via Twitter)

Jason Segel appeared tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live and left viewers with some interesting titbits from his time working in the Hollywood while also opening up about his role on Winning Time.

Segel had some interesting stories to share about Kobe Bryant and Kevin Hart, and how he met the famous personalities. Segel told of the time he met Kobe Bryant, the legendary Lakers star who also inadvertently helped him land a movie position back at a time when the actor was not too popular.

At that time, Segel had a role on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother and had made the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. His agent had arranged for him to sit down beside an unnamed executive at a Lakers sport, but sadly the executive did not notice Jason at all.

However, that completely changed when Kobe Bryant noticed Segel and raced over to give a hug and said:

"You’re a amusing motherf—er!"

The very next day, Jason Segel landed a movie. However, Segel later realized that the famous Bryant had mistaken him for Seth Rogen, the Canadian actor and stand-up comedian.

Segel also has an interesting story with Kevin Hart, the stand-up comedian. He told Kimmel that in 2001, Judd Apatow put him in a one-bedroom apartment with Kevin Hart and the two shared the place for six months and became roommates while they were shooting the pilot for the film North Hollywood. Segel narrated the incident:

"So, all of a sudden, Kevin Hart was just living with me and he'd be like, ‘Hey man, are you making breakfast? I'd like some too.' Then I'm making breakfast for Kevin Hart."

Who is Jason Segel? All about the actor's role in Winning Time

Jason Segel is an American actor and comedian best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He has also worked on a number of other TV series including Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, which brought the actor public acclaim.

Segel has also starred in a number of films, including Knocked Up (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Despicable Me (2010), Bad Teacher (2011), The Muppets (2011), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), and This Is 40 (2012). His role as the late author David Foster Wallace in the 2015 film The End of the Tour brought him critical acclaim.

Jason Segel is a lifelong Lakers fan who plays the role of coach Paul Westhead in HBO’s sports drama Winning Time, airing its sixth episode on March 27, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.

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