Seth Rogen admitted he couldn’t stop thanking and apologizing to Penélope Cruz while filming a sex scene for their new movie “The Invite.”
The “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express” star, 44, shared the behind-the-scenes story during Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” revealing that he instinctively kept saying, “Thank you,” while improvising the intimate scene with the Oscar-winning actress, 52.
“What’s actually funny in the scene is we were encouraged to improvise,” Rogen told guest host Ike Barinholtz.
“There’s a scene where me and her are having a romantically charged moment, and it seems like we might hook up with one another, and I just kept saying, ‘Thank you.’”
“And Olivia Wilde, the director, was just like, ‘Why? What are you doing? Why do you keep saying ‘Thank you’?” he continued.
“And I was like, ‘I don’t know. It’s just what’s coming out of my mouth.’”
Rogen said the reaction reflected how he would feel in real life.
“All I have is gratitude,” he said. “I would be apologetic and thankful. I’m sorry.”
The actor, who has been married to Lauren Miller since 2011, joked that he was nervous about filming the scene because Cruz is married to fellow Oscar-winner Javier Bardem.
“So, you’re very worried about that,” Rogen said, before adding with a laugh, “I don’t think he views me as a legitimate threat in any way, shape or form.”
Rogen also revealed that several moments in the film were improvised. He said Cruz suggested singing Sade during one romantic scene.
“It was Penélope Cruz’s idea,” he said. “There’s a scene where we’re being romantic, and she was like, ‘What if I start singing Sade to you?’ which is sort of sexy, but also kind of hilarious at the same time.”
Rogen also came up with an idea of his own for the scene, though it didn’t end well for him.
“It’s funny if I’m trying to get my pants off and maybe I struggle, and I fall down in the scene,” he said. “And I did it. Everyone’s like, ‘That was great.’”
“And then I hurt my shoulder for seven months,” he joked.
“The Invite” stars Wilde as Angela and Rogen as her husband Joe, whose marriage is shaken when they’re propositioned by wealthy couple Pína, played by Cruz, and Hawk, played by Edward Norton.
Wilde recently shared another improvised moment from filming “The Invite,” telling the “Table Manners” podcast that Cruz unexpectedly kissed her during a scene.
“I was so shocked,” Wilde said. “I turned my head and looked directly into the lens.”
Wilde recalled a camera operator saying her name, prompting her to blurt out, “Cut. Namaste!”
“That’s the only thing that came to my mind. ‘Namaste,’” she said. “And everyone was like, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know.’”
“My mind went blank because I was so struck by this moment,” Wilde added. “I lost control. I was so madly in love with her.”
