Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were just 13 years old when they started writing a rough script for Superbad. And if the names weren't enough of a giveaway, they based the two main characters, Seth and Evan, on themselves. However, fans of the movie will know that's not the only element of truth in the script.
In the beloved 2007 comedy, Seth and Evan are portrayed by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. But perhaps the most memorable character in the film is Fogell (aka McLovin), who is played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Seth and Fogell spend plenty of time bickering throughout the movie, and it's well known that Jonah and Christopher weren't the best of buddies off-camera, either. In fact, that's actually why Christopher got the part.
Speaking at Fan Expo Chicago a few years ago, Christopher said that Jonah "hated [him] so much" that he tried to prevent him from being cast.
"I get it, I was 17, I was not a professional actor, I was in high school, and we're playing high school kids," Christopher said, while reflecting on his Superbad audition. "Jonah's roasting me — and you remember being in high school, you just like, yeah, it's my fucking buddy roasting me, it's not going to bother me, I'm going to roast him back. And that's what I did."
In the end, Christopher went in so hard on the jokes that Jonah was left with a genuine dislike for him, apparently telling (the real) Seth and producer Judd Apatow, "Fuck that guy, don't cast that guy."
However, being the comedic geniuses that they are, Seth, Judd, and director Greg Mottola immediately saw the potential in the two actors' hostile dynamic. "They all said, 'We gotta cast that guy,'" Christopher recalled. "I think [Jonah] hating me really helped me book that part."
As you may have seen, Jonah's been back in the headlines recently due to some cringeworthy comments he made about jiu-jitsu and being recognized as the "fucking fat guy from Superbad." And with that in mind, Christopher's story about his and Jonah's Superbad beef has resurfaced, too.
The Fan Expo clip has racked up millions of views on X in the past week, and people are reflecting on how "insufferable" and "insecure" it makes Jonah sound.
"Everything I hear about Jonah Hill is just bad things," one user wrote, while someone else expressed shock that Jonah, who got his breakout with Superbad, had the "absolute nerve" to try to influence the casting decisions.
It's probably worth mentioning that this story is completely true, with Seth, Jonah, and Judd having all discussed it publicly on numerous occasions. "Jonah said, 'I don't like that guy. I don't want him doing it,'" Judd told Vanity Fair in celebration of the film's 15th anniversary in 2022. "I said, 'That's exactly why we're hiring him. It couldn't be more perfect. The fact that it bothers you is exactly what we want.'"
In the same VF story, Jonah recalled that he found Christopher "really annoying," but was happy to acknowledge that he nailed the audition. "Chris was really, really amazing off the bat," he said.
Well, these two gave us some hilarious scenes, so who are we to complain? You can watch the resurfaced Fan Expo clip here.
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