Back in the summer of 2007, moviegoers were treated to Superbad, a movie filled with star-making performances and memorable quotes. Thanks to incredible chemistry shared by its two leads, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, and a sharp, well-written script by first-time screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Superbad is head and shoulders above most of the other movies in the high school comedy subgenre.
The characters and their relationships feel real, and there’s a lot of heart in this tale of separation anxiety as two best friends prepare to go to different colleges. So, here are 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Superbad.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg started writing the script when they were 13 years old
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg started working on the script for Superbad as a pair of 13-year-old kids living in Canada. They named the lead characters in the movie, Seth and Evan, after themselves.
Producer Judd Apatow took an interest in the script, and while they were all working on the short-lived TV series Undeclared, they held a couple of readthroughs with some of the other actors to see what worked about the script. It was always a funny script, but they needed to add heart to the story before it was ready to go into production. That’s ultimately what set Superbad apart from most high school comedies.
Jennifer Lawrence was considered for the role of Jules
The role of Jules, Seth’s romantic interest in Superbad, ended up going to Emma Stone in her movie debut. While the film was still in the casting process, Jennifer Lawrence was considered for the part. Ultimately, the producers decided against Lawrence and her big break was put off for a couple of years while Stone got to enjoy hers following the success of Superbad.
Lawrence wouldn’t break through until 2010 with a starring role in the indie drama Winter’s Bone, and she really became a star following her Oscar-winning turn alongside Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell’s 2012 romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook.
No alcoholic beverage companies allowed their brand to be used in the film
One thing you might notice when you’re watching Superbad is that none of the characters drink alcoholic beverages with actual branding. For example, Jules’ friend asks Seth to buy her some bottles of Kyle’s Killer Lemonade (in place of Mike’s Hard Lemonade), and Becca asks Evan to get her some Goldslick Vodka.
This is because there wasn’t a single alcoholic beverage company that would allow the producers to use their product in Superbad. According to Superbad’s DVD commentary, this was a little hypocritical: “Companies that make money poisoning and killing people would not clear their product for a boner movie.”
Superbad almost got Bill Hader typecast as a cop
Bill Hader’s performance as Officer Slater in Superbad proved to be so popular that it almost got him typecast as a cop. After the movie came out, most of the roles he was being offered were police characters. Thankfully, he chose his subsequent roles wisely and managed to avoid being typecast.
Hader has since appeared in such a wide range of movies as Tropic Thunder, Inside Out, Paul, Trainwreck, and even last year’s It: Chapter Two. The role of Officer Michaels – who was eventually played by Superbad co-writer Seth Rogen alongside Hader – was originally offered to Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass.
The penis drawings were done by co-writer Evan Goldberg’s brother
The penis drawings featured in Superbad were drawn by David Goldberg, the brother of co-writer Evan Goldberg. He drew more than 1,000 pictures, but since the studio’s legal team had to okay every single one that appeared in the film – no matter how briefly – only a fraction of them are actually featured on-screen.
These drawings became a huge point of contention with the MPAA when it came to rating the movie. Their main concern was that a little girl looks at one of them. So, they had to shoot around it and cut away from the little girl. The shot of the drawing in Becca’s hands actually features a small woman’s hands.
The producers initially rejected Jonah Hill for the role of Seth, despite his insistence he was perfect for it
Producer Judd Apatow was putting together Superbad with writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, casting all the roles in anticipation of shooting it, while they were making Knocked Up. Jonah Hill, who appeared in a supporting role in Knocked Up, had read the script and insisted that he was perfect for the role of Seth.
However, the producers believed he looked too old and rejected him for the role. Instead, they wanted him to play a smaller part. Eventually, the group relented and allowed Hill to read for Seth. They immediately agreed that he was right for it and cast him, which he found pretty frustrating.
Danny McBride appears as an extra in the party scene
Danny McBride, who would go on to star in Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones on HBO, can be seen as a background extra in Superbad’s party scene. McBride went on to become a major player in the Apatow company of actors, playing a larger role in Pineapple Express, the next film that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg would write, as the seemingly invincible pot dealer Red.
Unlike most of the actors in comedy movies, McBride has appeared across the board in movies from all the different camps. He’s worked with the Will Ferrell crowd, the Ben Stiller crowd – and he’s always hilarious.
The filmmakers had to get a bigger screen to see the nuances in Michael Cera’s acting
Shortly after shooting began on Superbad, the producers became concerned that Michael Cera wasn’t really doing anything with the character of Evan, or his performance. They didn’t have any serious discussions about recasting the role, but they did approach Cera to suggest bringing more energy to his work.
However, what nobody realized was that Cera had been bringing all kinds of inflections and body language to the character that was unnoticeable on the little monitors that fill “video village” on a film set. They had to bring in a bigger screen to be able to see the nuances in Cera’s acting.
The period-blood-on-the-leg scene was based on a real incident
One of the most memorable scenes in Superbad sees Seth dancing with a woman and then finding period blood on his leg. This draws unwanted attention to him as he’s hoping to steal booze from the party and leave undetected. The blood attracts a crowd of partygoers who all mock Seth and call their friends over to see.
According to Seth Rogen, who celebrated the movie’s 10th anniversary in 2017 with a series of tweets containing never-before-seen trivia, this was based on a real incident. It happened to a friend of his at a high school dance and they spotted the blood after the dance.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s mother was present when he filmed his sex scene
Since Christopher Mintz-Plasse was only 17 at the time of filming Superbad (Jonah Hill was 23 and Michael Cera was 18), for legal reasons, his mother had to be present while he shot his sex scene, which must’ve been uncomfortable.
Apparently, when Mintz-Plasse came in for his first audition, Hill didn’t like him, because he thought that he was stepping on all of his lines. None of the producers felt that this was the case and decided to cast him anyway. Hill eventually warmed to Mintz-Plasse, but this initial animosity did help to create the hilarious dynamic between the two characters.