Seth Rogen shared a surprising bit of PlayStation trivia during a red carpet interview at SXSW. When asked what the funniest note he’d received on a script was, Rogen said it was a note from Sony on the screenplay for 2007’s Superbad, which Rogen co-wrote.
According to Rogen, a scene in which Evan (Michael Cera) can be seen playing a game on a PlayStation 2 was originally meant to show Seth (Jonah Hill) using the console–but Sony wasn’t having it.
“Jonah Hill’s Character, Seth, was so reprehensible to the studio,” Rogen explained, laughing. “They were like–there’s a scene where [Cera and Hill] are playing video games–and [Sony’s] like, ‘Jonah can’t touch a PlayStation.’ They were like, ‘We can’t have him interact with our products as a character, because [he’s] too vile a character.'”
According to Rogen, Sony found Hill’s portrayal of Seth so repulsive that they didn’t want his character associated with their hardware… a note Rogen found mildly offensive, as the character of Seth was, in fact, based on Rogen himself.
“I was like, ‘It’s based on me! That’s very insulting,'” Rogen continued, still laughing. “But we accommodated them, ultimately.”
Instead of both characters using the console together, as the script originally called for, Rogen rewrote the scene so that Cera’s character was using the console while Hill’s character tried on a series of ill-fitting shirts in the hopes of finding a flattering outfit for an upcoming party.
As the friends bicker about Cera’s taste in clothing and the party itself, Cera’s character can be seen playing 2004’s The Getaway: Black Monday. A closer look reveals that he is playing as Sergeant Ben Mitchell and is fighting his way through Chapter 3: The Latvian Cowboy. Unfortunately, he seems to be struggling with the gameplay, muttering, “Where did I leave the M16?” despite the fact that the game’s arsenal of weapons does not include an M16.
“That’s fun,” Cera’s character awkwardly remarks after dying in-game. “Why do they even make that if you can’t even… win? Then why–why am I f***ing playing?”
The scene takes place roughly 30 minutes into the film. Notably, there is not a single shot that shows Hill touching the PlayStation 2–or even standing near it. The only times he shares the screen with the console, Cera’s character is also in the shot (and of course, is the only one touching the controller).