Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jonah Hill in “Superbad. “Columbia PicturesThe origin story of “Superbad” is almost as famous as the film itself: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were just 13 when they started writing the comedy in their hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Over the next 11 years the pair honed the script, using their own high-school misadventures as inspiration.
Set on the eve of graduation, the raunchy yet sweet teen buddy comedy follows Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) as they try to buy booze for a party where they hope to lose their virginities to their crushes, Jules (Emma Stone) and Becca (Martha MacIsaac). Upon its release, on August 17, 2007, “Superbad” was met with critical acclaim. It confirmed the producer Judd Apatow’s status as a force in comedy.
(He’d made “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” in which Rogen also appeared, two years earlier. ) Rogen and Goldberg became two of the most in-demand screenwriters in Hollywood, while Cera and Hill became household names. And, of course, the film introduced the world to Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), better known as McLovin.
To mark the 15th anniversary of the film’s release, Insider spoke with four key people involved in its production: Dara Weintraub, a producer; Dorian Frankel, a casting associate; Ronit Ravich-Boss, a script supervisor; and Laura Seay, the actor who played Jules’ best friend, Shirley. They opened up about their impressions of Rogen and Goldberg’s script, the lengthy casting process, the on-set improvisation, and why “Superbad” continues to be so popular. A childhood dream comes trueBy 2002, both Rogen and Goldberg were living in Los Angeles.
Rogen had starred in “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” which Apatow had produced and created, respectively. As a producer, Apatow helped Rogen and Goldberg rewrite the script of “Superbad” and take it to studios. There was just one problem: R-rated comedies were out of fashion at the time.
Dorian Frankel, casting associate: I think everybody was a little like, “Oh, my God. This is so dirty. Is this going to work?” It was shocking just how far it went with the language and the things that happened.
But it was also so funny. The dirtiness was made OK by the funniness. Plus it had the friendship at its core.
Laura Seay, actor: I just laughed the whole way through reading it. I’d never read or seen anything like it. It felt like a generational touchstone that didn’t exist yet.
I actually found out that it was their personal story firsthand, on set, from Evan. They just couldn’t get it made earlier. And by the time they could get it they were too old to play the roles.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, pictured in 2014. The pair have been writing screenplays together since they were teens. Michael Buckner/Getty ImagesDara Weintraub, coproducer and unit production manager: I just remember thinking how smart it was and how I hadn’t seen anything like it before.
I knew that it was special. Seay: I remember distinctly Jonah’s rants as Seth. They were all written out in the script.
I was just blown away by the detail and the shock value of it. There was also a nuance to the relationship, even though they were just these two boys. I can’t say that I knew it was going to be this cultural phenomenon.
But I definitely got the sense that it was something special. The search for McLovinSony decided Rogen and Goldberg’s script was worth the risk, especially after the success of Apatow’s R-rated film “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” released in 2005. Cera was hired quickly, as was Bill Hader, who had worked with Rogen on “You, Me and Dupree,” to play opposite him in “Superbad” as a police officer.
But finding the right actors to play Seth and especially McLovin was much more complicated. Weintraub: Judd had worked with [the casting director] Allison Jones many times before. They didn’t have to tell her anything.
She knew what was right for the film. She knew what kind of actors they’d like. Authenticity? Yes.
Subtlety? Yes. Funny? Yes. Natural? Yes.
That’s just what she does. Frankel: Michael Cera was attached to it. Then the rest of the roles people read for, except for Seth Rogen and Bill Hader.
Emma Stone was obviously very special. She was very much just herself, and self-possessed. Seay: I was actually reading for Michael Cera’s love interest, I think.
[The role ultimately went to MacIsaac. ] I was still going to high school in Seattle. So I flew down to LA a couple times to do the initial readings.
It was over a couple of months. It might have been, like, six months to a year, honestly. I didn’t book the role that I’d been auditioning for, but they still wanted me in the movie.
Then they cast me as Shirley. Laura Seay and Emma Stone as Shirley and Jules in “Superbad. “Columbia PicturesFrankel: We read a lot of guys for Seth, a lot of great actors.
But just nobody was the guy. It just never felt right. Jonah’s name kept coming up because everybody knew him.
They were like, “It’s too bad that he’s too old. ” Everybody else was 17, 18, 19. Then at some point it was just like, “Maybe it could be him.
” I remember that happening. They did a read in his trailer while filming “Knocked Up. ” That’s when everyone was like, “That’s the guy.
” It was just clear and obvious immediately. He was so funny and believable, even when he was frustrated and angry. Seay: I don’t think Christopher Mintz-Plasse was an actor when he got McLovin.
I think a friend of his was auditioning and he’d shown up to the casting. Frankel: We put out notices to high schools, specifically improv teams and drama departments. A lot of people had come in to audition.
Towards the end of that process they still hadn’t found the right person. I remember sitting at my desk, checking email, and Chris’ picture came in. I believe he didn’t even know about it and his friends had told him; that’s why he was so late.
He was sort of odd, but appealing. He looked interesting. When he read with Michael and Jonah, he just felt right.
A lot of the actors played him as a dork and lacking in confidence. They made him awkward and nerdy. Chris knew he had confidence but was also self-righteous.
He didn’t have any uncertainty. I think that came naturally to him. Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell, a.
k. a. McLovin, in “Superbad.
“Columbia PicturesWeintraub: They took a lot of risks with a lot of the actors. They were able to have the foresight that a lot of people don’t have. Frankel: At his callback with the whole cast, I remember Chris was hoping to get autographs.
I don’t know if he asked for autographs, but I remember him saying that he thought he would probably never see them again. So he just figured he’d bring a script and have them sign it. How a team of newcomers made ‘Superbad’ work”Superbad” was Rogen and Goldberg’s debut as feature-film screenwriters, the director Greg Mottola’s first major-studio film, and Hill and Cera’s first film as lead actors.
But those involved say there was no pressure on set and a free and creative environment was quickly established. Ronit Ravich-Boss, script supervisor: Seth and Evan were so young. I think Seth was 23 when we started shooting.
Frankel: Seth and Evan were just so happy that it was happening. Weintraub: It was clear how talented and how successful they would be. It was very natural to them.
They were exploding with ideas. Ravich-Boss: For Seth and Evan, it was always about this group of very talented people. It was like a very tight family.
If I had an idea, I could voice it. It was really a feel-good movie. There was a lot of camaraderie on set.
Seay: It felt more like an indie film than a major Hollywood studio film. Weintraub: Judd is brilliant at handling material as well as casting. He is very talented at putting the whole package together.
Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow at the premiere of “Superbad. “Vince Bucci/Getty ImagesRavich-Boss: Judd was very hands-on. They were new and didn’t have a ton of experience.
He was there every day and knew exactly what was going on. It was a great collaboration. There were no egos.
Greg Mottola was such an essential factor in the success of the movie, too. Seay: Greg is just a very gentle person. He creates such a safe space on set.
It’s super collaborative, super mellow. A lot of his films hinge on relationship themes and connection. You wouldn’t necessarily expect a film this dirty from him.
But he just creates a very safe space. Greg has this really nice balance of knowing exactly what he wanted but being very open to whatever performances will bring to the table. When you’re working with comedy, that’s really important.
Ravich-Boss: He made it tender. You have all the language, the crazy lines, and the drawing of dicks. But at the end, the scene between Jonah and Michael, that friendship, it makes you want to cry.
It’s just like two lovers. Seay: It’s a classic comedy of contrast. They’re so different from each other.
Michael’s got such a gentle, sort of cerebral way about him. Jonah is like a fireball coming out of a cannon. By the time that we got on set, it was pretty clear that bond between them had solidified.
Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in a scene from “Superbad. “Columbia PicturesWould ‘Superbad’ be made today?”Superbad” was a smash hit; it opened at No. 1 at the US box office, ultimately making $170.
8 million on a budget of $20 million. While the film remains beloved by many, critics reevaluating it over the years have pointed out its normalization of sexual assault and its casual homophobia. Hill has said he’d like to “illuminate” younger fans about the toxicity of “bro masculinity” in the film and others of its era.
Weintraub: We all felt that it would be a success. We all felt that it was something special when we were doing it. It had all the right ingredients.
There was Judd. There were all the actors. There was the fact that Seth and Evan had written the story so long ago.
You could see that all these guys were going to be the next generation. Seay: By the time the movie came out, I was a sophomore in college. Everybody around me was very aware of it.
It just got to be so ubiquitous at a certain point. Everybody was so in love with it. Weintraub: I brought my mother to the premiere.
I was a little worried at first because of the amount of sex, but she loved it. She thought it was great. People really related to it.
No matter what age you were, there was something in there for everybody. Frankel: Sure, it was dirty and funny, but it also made you feel something. You really feel for the characters, what they’re going through, and the importance of their friendship.
Seay: It’s easy to take a movie like this and assume that it’s sort of facile — it’s just about fellas trying to get laid, that kind of thing. But it’s about two young men who are coming to a fork in the road in their lives. It did a really nice job of dealing with their own vulnerability.
They’re just getting to the point where they can express their feelings to each other as two young men. I think it’s very profound. They’re afraid to lose each other.
They know everything is going to change. That’s the heartbeat of the movie; I actually feel it’s pretty progressive. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera at the premiere of “Superbad.
“Vince Bucci/Getty ImagesWeintraub: I know that there was some talk of a sequel. I heard that they might want to do one. I don’t know why it didn’t happen.
I wish they would do it. Seay: Would it be made today? Maybe, if it wasn’t affiliated with a studio. I could definitely see it getting stopped before it got started, just based on people thinking it was too edgy or raunchy and missing the point of the heartbeat of the film.
It’s hard to tell. I feel like there’s been some different iterations. People said that “Booksmart” was sort of the female “Superbad.
“Weintraub: I think it would get made. Because it’s funny. The humor is timeless.
There’s not as much comedy today. I think Hollywood would really benefit from a film like “Superbad” today. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/superbad-oral-history-15th-anniversary-jonah-hill-michael-cera-2022-8