Seth Rogen opened up about his awkward demeanor while filming an intimate scene with Penélope Cruz in their new movie, “The Invite,” noting he just kept thanking her for the experience.
The 44-year-old actor also explained that he was quite apprehensive of how Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem, would take it.
Seth Rogen has one of the most enduring marriages in Hollywood and said that a key to a lasting relationship is being “intimate” and “sexually attracted” to your partner.
Even for the most dedicated Hollywood stars, filming intimate scenes is sometimes awkward, but Rogen proved to be polite about it while shooting with Penélope Cruz in their new film “The Invite.”
In a Wednesday, July 15 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Rogen spoke on the hilarious behind-the-scenes moment that left him expressing gratitude and apologizing to the Oscar winner, even though director and costar Olivia Wilde had asked that the cast all go with the flow while shooting.
“There’s a scene where me and [Cruz] are having a romantically charged moment, and it seems like we might hook up with one another, and I just kept saying ‘Thank you,’” he told guest host Ike Barinholtz, who stepped in due to Jimmy Kimmel’s 2-month summer break.
He went on to explain that the reason he was like that was that he “would be apologetic and thankful” if the steamy session were to occur in real life.
“I’m sorry,” he jokingly said about the awkward moment.
Olivia Wilde Was Confused By The Actor’s Reactions During His Scene With Penélope Cruz
In the film, Rogen and Wilde play a married couple in a rut, Joe and Angela, who host a tense dinner for their sexually adventurous upstairs neighbors, Pina and Hawk, played by Cruz and Edward Norton, respectively.
They’d initially planned to get to know Pina and Hawk, but the interactions soon revealed the cracks in Joe and Angela’s own marriage, per Forbes. Things took an unexpected twist as Pina and Hawk invited them to have group sex in a partner exchange setting, as more shocking revelations emerged.
Speaking on the funny moment that transpired between him and Cruz, Rogen noted that his awkwardness caught Wilde off guard and left her with more questions than commendation.
“Olivia Wilde, the director, was just like, ‘Why? What are you doing? Why do you keep saying ‘Thank you?’” he recalled. “And I was like, I don’t [know]. It’s just what’s coming out of my mouth.”
“All I have is gratitude,” he added, rendering to the scene.
Seth Rogen Was Conscious About Penélope Cruz’s Husband’s Reaction To The Scene
Elsewhere in the interview, Rogen shared another major reason he acted awkwardly while filming with Cruz.
The “Pineapple Express” actor explained that he was quite skeptical about the steamy moments they shared because he didn’t know how Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem, would react to the scene.
Rogen, however, joked that Bardem, a fellow actor, likely doesn’t see him as a “threat” or someone who could jeopardize his marriage with Cruz.
“I don’t think he views me as a legitimate threat in any way, shape or form,” he noted.
The Actor Speaks On The Secret To A Long Lasting Marriage
Meanwhile, Rogen has been married for the last 15 years to his wife, Lauren Miller, and had previously dished on how a healthy sex life is the supposed secret to a long-lasting marriage.
The couple first met in 2005 through mutual friends before tying the knot 6 years later.
In a June profile with The New York Times, Rogen described “The Invite” as a film that focuses on what a good and bad relationship is, noting that it’s mainly built on what each partner brings to the table.
“People really bring their own personal stuff into those definitions,” he explained. “I remember feeling like I could really confidently speak about what a very good relationship was like — one that had been good for a very long time.”
Reflecting on what the secret is, he said, “It’s a couple who is nice to each other, who loves each other and who goes out of their way to excuse the other person rather than to find things that they hate about the other person.”
Seth Rogen Marriages Fail Due To A Lack Of Sexual Intimacy
Journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro then brought up a previous conversation in which he spoke about how his wife allows him to be his goofy self, adding that she seems to want the “full Seth.”
“She does, yes. And at times she will also tell me maybe it’s too much, Seth,” he joked. “When we were making the ‘Neighbors’ movies, a lot of the dynamic between me and Rose Byrne came from conversations with me and Lauren.”
He continued, “She’s not the naggy woman who’s trying to shut down the fun. Me and her love doing the same stuff, and if anything, she’s encouraging it.”
The comedian then added that one other secret “comes down to caring and tenderness.”
“You have to want to love your partner, and you have to want them to love you back,” he said. “You have to be intimate with your partner and sexually attracted to your partner, and that should be returned as well.”