Seth Rogen opens up about the rumor that actress Emma Watson walked off the set of his film This Is The End. The hit film, a comedic parody of apocalypse films, was released in 2013. Directed and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This Is The End starred an ensemble cast of celebrities who played fictionalized versions of themselves.
Set in Los Angeles, This Is The End follows celebrities Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, and Jay Baruchel who get trapped with James Franco in his home after the beginning of the apocalypse brings an abrupt end to a house party Franco was throwing. Naturally, due to the “realism” of the plot, a slew of other celebrities made guest appearances, from Channing Tatum to Rihanna. One of those celebrities is Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, who had a small cameo in which she returns to the house after being separated but, in a big misunderstanding, believes the group wants to take advantage of her and quickly leaves the house again.
In a recent interview with GQ, Seth Rogen opened up about the longstanding rumor that Emma Watson walked off the set of the film. Rogen confirmed the rumor—which maintained that Watson left the project after she refused to film a scene in which Channing Tatum is held on a leash by Danny McBride’s gang of cannibals as their gimp—to be true. However, he was quick to assert that there were no hard feelings, and Watson may have even been right, alluding to the fact that the version audiences watched in the final film was, perhaps, a tamer version of what Watson had rejected.
“I mean, I don’t look back on that and think, ‘How dare she do that?’ You know? I think sometimes when you read something, when it comes to life it doesn’t seem to be what you thought it was. But it was not some terrible ending to our relationship. She came back the next day to say goodbye. She helped promote the film. No hard feelings and I couldn’t be happier with how the film turned out in the end. She was probably right. It was probably funnier the way we ended up doing it.”
This Is The End was a hit among both critics and fans. The film was also the directorial debut for Rogen and Goldberg, who wrote comedy staples such as Superbad and Pineapple Express. As far as directing goes, the pair would go on to write and direct projects such as the film The Interview and some episodes of the hit AMC series Preacher (which they also co-created). Outside of film and tv, Rogen has remained a popular figure in Hollywood, known for posting the results of his ceramics hobby and various expressive political sentiments.
While it is interesting to finally have clarity on this rumor, it is nice to hear that Watson leaving the film left no ill will between the creators and the Harry Potter star. This reveal is also a testament to both Watson’s resolve and Rogen’s ability to listen, considering that even though her tenure on the film was cut short, he still took some of her concerns to heart and changed the scene slightly. While the record has been set straight, one thing that has always been true is that This Is The End brought fresh air into the apocalypse blockbuster genre, allowing audiences to laugh with the celebrities they’ve always wanted to laugh at.
Source: GQ