Emma Watson allegedly walked off the set of This Is the End after refusing to film a disturbing scene.
Back in 2013, Watson starred in the raucous apocalyptic comedy film, which was written and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
The movie featured a star-studded cast, including Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride, and became a worldwide box office success, grossing over $126 million.
While the 35-year-old actress, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, appeared in the film and received praise for her performance, one particular scene made her uncomfortable, leading her to walk off set.
The reason why Watson walked off the set
According to Movieweb, the scene involved McBride, who plays a cannibal alongside Channing Tatum in a disturbing and darkly comedic sequence.
McBride’s character holds Tatum on a leash as a gimp and forces him to interact with others, with the two playing cannibals.
Rogen confirmed the story in an interview with British GQ, explaining that while Watson did leave the set, there were no hard feelings. “I don’t look back on that and think, ‘How dare she do that?’” he said. “Sometimes when you read something and it comes to life, it doesn’t seem to be what you thought it was.”
Despite the tension, Rogen noted that the Perks of Being a Wallflower star returned to the set the next day to ensure everything was okay with the crew and cast.
“It was not some terrible ending to our relationship. She came back the next day to say goodbye. She helped promote the film. No hard feelings, and I couldn’t be happier with how the film turned out in the end,” he added.
Watson with the This is The End cast. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
The scene was eventually scrapped, and another, less disturbing one was created with McBride and Tatum, which Rogen admitted turned out to be “more tasteful” and worked better for the film.
The Superbad actor also revealed his surprise at getting such a high-profile cast for the film, saying, “Pretty much everyone we went for did it, unless there was a scheduling problem.”
He specifically mentioned Watson’s involvement, noting, “You know, as handsome as James Franco is, you want to look at someone else eventually. So we thought it could be funny to throw in a random person that we’re not that comfortable with, and Emma just seemed to fit the bill. It was a long shot. I did not think she would do it, but she did, and she’s f***ing hilarious.”
Franco echoed Rogen’s sentiments, explaining that it was Rogen’s efforts to make Watson feel comfortable that led to her participation in the film. “Seth was really good about making her feel comfortable,” Franco said.
“But I did get the sense that she’d never done a movie like this before. I mean, she really went for it, but I could see that it was like, ‘Oh, this is not how they shot Harry Potter,'" he added.
Watson stepped away from acting. Credit: Jamie McCarthy / Getty
Watson’s Career Pause and Reflection
The British actress has not acted in a film since completing her role in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women in December 2018, but her recent comments on her career provide insight into her decision to step away from acting and focus on other passions.
In a candid interview with Hollywood Authentic, Watson revealed that she is currently the happiest and healthiest she’s ever been, attributing part of her well-being to her decision to prioritize academics over acting.
While she acknowledged that she missed using her acting skills, she admitted that the promotional duties attached to her film roles were a significant burden.
“The bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work,” she said. “I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill-set, and I very much miss the art.”