In 2013, a little movie called This Is The End made its way into theaters, and the movie quickly became a comedy hit that people had to see. It featured an amazing cast of actors like Seth Rogen, James Franco, and a whole lot more, and this star-studded affair was just what comedy fans were looking for when it was released.
Michael Cera wound up being one of the best parts of the entire movie, despite having a smaller role. Cera had a few requests on set, including one that involved his scene with Rihanna.
Let's look at how his request got him smacked by the singer.
Michael Cera Is A Successful Actor
Having been in the acting game since the late 90s, Michael Cera is a performer who has gotten to do a little bit of everything. Instead of just thriving on either television or the big screen, the actor has found success in both arenas.
While Cera has a laundry list of impressive television credits, his most famous to date is Arrested Development, and the series really helped put him on the map. Its lasting legacy with fans played a huge part in this, and Cera was able to springboard onto other notable projects from there.
On the big screen, Cera has appeared in movies like Superbad, Juno, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and The Lego Batman Movie. Cera normally has a large role in major projects, but one of his most famous acting credits actually stemmed from more of a cameo role.
He Had A Memorable Cameo In 'This Is The End'
2013's This Is The End was a huge hit at the box office, and Michael Cera's cameo in the movie was insanely hilarious.
When speaking with GQ, Evan Goldberg, who co-wrote and directed the film, and the rest of the cast opened up about the film. A number of things were discussed, notably Cera's cameo in the film.
"We wrote this insane character for him, and his only note as an actor, which it's rare to only have one, is 'I want to wear this windbreaker.' It's his real-life windbreaker," said Goldberg.
Cera corroborated this, saying, "It was something to hide behind, I guess. It helped my body language to pull down on it and tug at it—you know, strange, jonesing behavior. I said, 'I really think that windbreaker is going to help me be a major asshole.'"
Goldberg capped this off by saying, "Michael was like a hurricane of hilarity. All the other actors, he was the one they were looking at like, 'This is, like, magical.'"
Every little detail that went into making Michael Cera play the fictional version of himself worked like a charm, and it's interesting to hear the part that he played in developing his character's physical appearance.
Turns out, this was not the only thing that Cera suggested while working on This Is The End.
His Cheeky Request For Rihanna
As fans got to see in the movie, many celebrities made brief appearances, including Rihanna. At one point, Michael Cera smacks Rihanna's behind, and it leads to him getting smacked in the face. Turns out, this wasn't a fake bit of acting, and it was actually something that Cera requested.
In their GQ interview, Goldberg and Cera talked about this scene.
"And Michael said to all of us, 'I'm going to ask her if I can slap her butt for real. I think it will make the joke way funnier.' And we were like, 'Yeah, totally go for it. Go nuts.' And so he asked permission to do the butt slap, and she said, 'You can do it, but I'm coming back way harder.' She hit him the first time, the second time, and we were all laughing, and Michael was like, 'Oh, it hurts.' And she was laughing and he was laughing. And the third time I think she cupped his ear, and it messed him up." said Goldberg.
"It was like a flash bomb went off. There was a high-pitched tone ringing in my ear, and I didn't know where I was," Cera confirmed.
Michael Cera got to live every man's dream for a brief moment, but the slapping actually wore him down after a few takes.
"She really slapped the shit out of him like six times, and eventually he said, 'I can't do this anymore,'" said Seth Rogen.
Michael Cera made a bold request, and it wound up paying off, as it was a memorable scene in the movie.