How Bill Hader and Seth Rogen prepared for their roles in Superbad
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the film’s release Very bad (2007), the cast and producers spoke about their experiences in making the coming-of-age teen comedy.
Actor and co-writer Seth Rogen explains how many elements of the script were based on real-life inspiration, including the jaded attitude of Officer Michaels and Officer Slater – two incompetent cops with a flair for theatrics.
Hader was in the right place at the right time to be cast in Superbad
After Rogen was cast as one of the officers Very bad, he knew the actor playing opposite had to have some serious comedic skills. It was closed during filming You, me and Dupree (2006) that Rogen met actor Bill Hader and shared scenes with him. The two hit it off immediately.
“It was just one of those things,” Rogen explained to Vanity Fair. “When I spoke to him, I thought, ‘We would be fun together.’ We have the same understanding of timing, tone and rhythm, we all love the same films.”
Co-screenwriter Evan Goldberg was also present during filming in Hawaii, allowing the three to meet and quickly become friends. Apparently, that was all it took director Judd Apatow to agree to cast Hader without even bothering about an audition.
Hader recalls meeting shortly thereafter, where Apatow stated that the two writers enjoyed meeting him and that he would play the role of a police officer in their film Very bad. “I remember he didn’t ask me to play it,” says the comedian. “He said, ‘You’re going to play this.'”
Rogen’s ride with the police was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life
In preparation for their roles as real-life Los Angeles cops, Rogen and Hader took a fateful ride with someone they could only describe as “the worst cop alive.” Rogen goes on to explain, “He didn’t seem to care. He pissed people off, bothered people. He thought it was funny.”
It was this bizarre attitude that helped them round out their characters Very bad. Throughout the film, Officer Michaels and Officer Slater fumble through almost every interaction with the kind of awkward carelessness that plagues the incredibly stupid.
They’re the kind of cops who ask the wrong questions at testimony, drink beers at the bar while they’re on the clock, and screw up the arrests of a couple of underage drinkers. A particularly iconic scene that underscores their utter incompetence sees Officer Slater recklessly making donuts in a police car while Officer Michaels and McLovin squeal with delight.
“I didn’t enjoy spinning the car around,” admits Hader. “It was in this school parking lot in Northridge, and there were all these light poles everywhere. And every time you thought you were going to crash into one.” The scene ends with the duo setting the car on fire and then encouraging McLovin’, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, to shoot at it with their guns.
For some reason, “Superbad” inspired several people to become cops
The insanely hilarious cop antics come in Very bad should make us laugh. Maybe that’s why Rogen is always shocked when he realizes that people actually look up to these wacky characters in real life. He says,
“What’s scary is a comment I get a lot when cops come up to me and say, ‘That’s why I became a cop Very bad.’ I’ve been told that several times. And when they tell me that, I’m like, ‘That sucks. You didn’t understand the film.”
Although they are highly irresponsible and deeply problematic authority figures, the cops are of Very bad Thanks to Rogen and Hader’s comedic genius, they become two lovable jerks. As two absurd adults desperate to befriend a random teenager, Officer Michaels and Officer Slater are two of the many true-to-life characters who went into the making Very bad one of the greatest teen movies of all time.
RELATED: “Superbad” has been praised by major Hollywood directors like James L. Brooks and Cameron Crowe
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