Seth Rogen reveals why he kept thanking Penélope Cruz while filming intimate scene
Seth Rogen has opened up about working on The Invite with Penélope Cruz and a 'funny' moment when they were encouraged to 'improvise'.
The Invite is the hottest recent release from none other than A24 and director Olivia Wilde, the comedy marking Wilde's third feature-length film as a director, following Booksmart and Don't Worry Darling.
An English-language remake of 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs by Cesc Gay, the film centers around couple musician Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) who invite their upstairs neighbors Pína (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) over for dinner.
And during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Rogen opened up about what it was like having to act in some 'crazy' 'sexy scenes' with Cruz. Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.
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Guest host Ike Barinholtz joked to Rogen he'd be worried Javier Bardem (Cruz's husband) would 'kill' him if he had to shoot sex scenes with Cruz, Rogen responding: "Yes, you're very worried about that."
However, there was another moment which stuck out even more to Rogen.
The actor revealed: "But what's actually funny is in the scene, we were encouraged to improvise and there's a scene where me and her are kind of having like a romantically charged moment and it seems like we might like have, you know, hook up with one another and I just kept saying thank you.
"[...] I just kept thanking her and Olivia Wilde, the director, was just like, 'Why? What are you doing? Why do you keep saying thank you?'
Rogen's response? Well, his character was clearly just loving the experience, Rogen responding: "It's just what's coming out of my mouth. All I have is gratitude for this."
He recalled: "And I would just thank her. I would be apologetic and thankful. I'm sorry, thank you."
Rogen later joked about Bardem: "I don't think he views me as a legitimate threat."
Elsewhere in the film, Rogen dances with Cruz, his fellow actor suggesting she start singing a particular song despite Rogen's attempts to go with Tag Team or Venga Boys - no spoilers here though, you'll have to get yourself to the theater to catch it.
Although, Rogen did admit during the filming of the scene, while he was improvising, he ended up falling down while trying to get his pants off and ended up hurting his shoulder 'for seven months'.
Avoiding big streamers and prioritising a theatrical release, the A24 movie has been praised for its 23-day shoot in chronological order.
The decision to film each scene in order allowed actors to experience the same build-up as was written and as ultimately, ends up being experienced by the audience too, The Invite receiving stellar reviews.
You can catch it in theaters now.
Topics: Seth Rogen, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Film and TV
Poppy Bilderbeck