Summary
Superbaddirector Seth Rogen has revealed a bizarre behind-the-scenes restriction about the movie that involved actor Jonah Hill andPlayStation. According to Rogan, Sony refused to let Jonah Hill’sSuperbadcharacter use aPlayStationconsole in the movie.
Released in 2007,Superbadis widely regarded as one of thegreatest comedy filmsof its generation. It chronicles a hilarious and chaotic adventure that two high school friends, played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, go through on a mission to secure alcohol for a party with their peers. Sony Pictures co-financedSuperbad, with Seth Rogen taking up the role of writer and director. OneSuperbadscene originally featured Hill’s character, Seth, playing a game on a PS2, but Sony apparently took issue with this.
Speaking withRotten Tomatoesat the 2025 edition of South by Southwest (SXSW), Rogen recalled an unusual demand from Sony regardingJonah Hill’sSuperbadcharacterinteracting with a PlayStation console. According to the director, Sony found Hill’s character, Seth, so “reprehensible” that the company instructedSuperbad’s creators tonot let the actor “touch a PlayStation"in one specific scene where he and Cera were playing a video game. The decision was mainly borne out of a concern that Seth’s vulgar and troublemaking nature could negatively impact PlayStation’s brand image.
Rogen, who based the character of Seth on himself, jokingly admitted he found Sony’s mandate personally insulting at the time. Still, he and the rest ofSuperbad’s creators ultimately complied, and the scene was reworked. Instead of Hill’s character smashing buttons on a PlayStation controller, Michael Cera’s character, Evan, is shown playingThe Getaway: Black Mondayon a PS2. Interestingly, this scene had an amusing error that may not be apparent to a lot of PlayStation fans. During the scene, Evan mentions using anM16 assault riflein the game, butThe Getaway: Black Mondaydoesn’t actually include the weapon.
While some may think that Sony’s concerns teetered on the edge of corporate control, it ultimately didn’t matter much asSuperbadstill went on to become a beloved classic. The film’s cast, notably Hill, Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Emma Stone, were all essential to its crude yet heartfelt humor, which ended up defining an era of teen comedies and remains relevant for many even today. This anecdote was shared by Rogen as part of a promotion he was running at SXSW 2025 for his upcoming Apple TV+ comedy seriesThe Studio, which will air on March 26.
