Michael Cera rose to fame in 2007 thanks to his roles in the teen classics Juno and Superbad. He was still a teenager at the time, and things got so wild on set that his mom had to leave early during one of the more out-there scenes in the film.
And fun fact—Cera nearly tied the knot with his Scott Pilgrim vs. the World co-star Aubrey Plaza. The fact that they almost married and then broke it off makes it seem like that edgy character he played wasn’t too far from his real-life vibe after all.
We all know most of the action we see in movies is staged. But Cera went off-script in a big way when he actually asked Rihanna if he could really slap her butt. To everyone’s surprise, she agreed, but not without setting her own terms.
Director Seth Rogen shared what happened in an interview with Sway’s Universe: “In the script, Michael Cera slaps Rihanna’s ass and she doesn’t hit him back.”
According to Rogen, they ended up filming the scene a few times—three or four, to be exact. And Rihanna didn’t hold back. She absolutely laid into him.
“She cupped his ear and actually whacked out his equilibrium and he had to go lay down in his trailer for around half an hour.”
Later on, Cera talked more about the experience during an interview with GQ. Here’s what he had to say:
“I mean, I think it’s a lot funnier and a lot more convincing… a fake slap just doesn’t look good.”
“She really sent me flying, and it was great. And now it’s on film forever, this pain that I experienced.”
But now that we know that Rihanna’s slap was 100% real, Cera’s cameo just might be the most unforgettable and literal hit in the whole film.
