Seth Rogen reveals the truth behind why James Franco had to wear headband while filming Pineapple Express
Seth Rogen revealed why James Franco sports a headband in cult classic Pineapple Express - and it's not just a fashion statement.
It's been 16 years since the action-comedy film was released, and it was an instant box-office hit, while living on in the memory of its adorning fans.
The plot follows Dale (Rogen) and his drug dealer Saul (Franco), who run away from a ruthless drug lord, hitmen and a dirty police officer and run into several shenanigans along the way.
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An easy watch and a good laugh, there's no wonder that the film has continued to have a large following more than 15 years after its release.
What's even better is writer and actor Seth Rogen shared a few unknown facts and behind-the-scenes details on the title's 10 year anniversary.
Back in 2018, the comedy legend marked the occasion by sharing some details about the Pineapple Express.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, he posted a thread of facts and opened up about a number of things to do with the 2008 classic.
One of these things included the inclusion of an adult film star, who had a cameo in the action comedy as she was in a photo in the film as Red's (Danny McBride) ex-wife who just got out of prison.
"In #PineappleExpress, Red refers to his ex wife having gotten out of jail recently," he explained. "There’s a pic of Red and his ex wife, who was played by Stormy Daniels."
There was also a scene where McBride had to stay taped up in a chair 'all day' because of how long the shot took to set up.
However, Rogen then revealed the reason behind Franco's now iconic headband look throughout the film, and it wasn't a fashion statement.
He penned: "The reason Saul wears a headband in #PineappleExpress is the result of another injury.
"There's a shot (that's in the movie) when we are running through the woods, Franco hits his head on a tree. He actually hit his head on a screw that was holding a pad in place and got stitches."
As painful as it sounds, you have to applaud the commitment to keep filming with a slight change to the character's look.
Adding more insult to injury, the 42-year-old added: "Throughout the fight scene in Red's house in #PineappleExpress, I broke my finger and Danny McBride got his head cracked open when Franco hit him with the bong."
It might be one of the most painful sounding shoots ever, with no stuntmen taking the hit for the comedians.
Produce Judd Apatow also took to social media, revealing that Bryan Cranston tried out for a role in the film, but thought that he wasn't scary enough to be a dealer.
Ironic, right?
It should be noted that Breaking Bad was also released in 2008, so the menacing, chilling character known as Walter White hadn't graced our screens yet.
Apatow tweeted: "Bryan Cranston auditioned, he may have even read at a table read and I said 'I don’t think he seems scary enough to seem like a real drug dealer.' If he did PE [Pineapple Express] maybe the Breaking Bad people would have said, 'Not him, he always plays drug dealers'."
It might have been the best thing for all parties, then.
Rogen also revealed that he had to roll all the prop joints on set with his friend and co-writer Evan Goldberg, saying: "In #PineappleExpress, me and my co-writer Evan had to roll all the cross joints needed to film (about 100) ourselves because nobody else on the crew could roll them properly."
Topics: Seth Rogen, Film, Celebrity
Joshua Nair