The ‘Invite’ Set Was Pure Chaos: Seth Rogen Thanked Penélope Cruz Through a Sex Scene and Hurt His Shoulder Falling Over

Seth Rogen has revealed that filming his intimate scene with Penélope Cruz for A24’s The Invite went in a direction nobody on set was quite prepared for — least of all director Olivia Wilde.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Rogen described what happened when he and Cruz were encouraged to improvise during a romantically charged sequence where their characters appear on the verge of hooking up, as reported by Metro. The improvisation directive was meant to bring out natural chemistry. What it actually brought out was Rogen’s instinct to repeatedly say “thank you” to the Oscar winner throughout the entire scene.

Wilde, watching from behind the camera, was understandably confused. She stopped the scene to ask him directly what he was doing and why he kept expressing gratitude. Rogen had no satisfying answer — he couldn’t explain it either. He simply told her it was just what kept coming out of his mouth.

When pressed further about why gratitude seemed like the appropriate emotional response to a near-intimate moment with Penélope Cruz, Rogen was at least honest about it. He said it was a fairly accurate reflection of how he would actually behave in that situation in real life. Along with the thanks came apologies — he described himself as the kind of person who would be simultaneously “apologetic and thankful” in that scenario, and apparently his on-screen instincts agreed.

The Javier Bardem Problem

Adding another layer of psychological noise to the whole situation was the fact that Cruz’s husband — Oscar winner Javier Bardem — was, in Rogen’s words, very much present in the back of his mind throughout filming. He acknowledged the obvious awkwardness of that particular thought process before quickly reassuring himself, and everyone listening, that Bardem almost certainly does not view him as a credible romantic threat in any capacity.

Penélope Cruz’s Sade Idea

Despite the awkwardness of the main scene, some of the film’s most genuinely funny moments came from Cruz herself. She suggested that her character serenade Rogen’s character with a Sade song during filming — an idea that landed somewhere between seductive and completely absurd, which seemed to be exactly the point. Rogen described it as one of the best unscripted additions to the film.

The Trouser Incident

Not to be outdone in the improvisation department, Rogen contributed his own physical comedy idea — suggesting his character struggle comically with removing his trousers before tumbling over entirely. Everyone on set loved the bit. His shoulder did not. The fall resulted in an injury that reportedly bothered him for seven months afterward.

Olivia Wilde’s Moment With Cruz

Wilde had her own unforgettable Cruz encounter during filming, which she shared on the Table Manners podcast. During one scene, Cruz unexpectedly leaned in and kissed her — completely derailing Wilde’s concentration. She recalled looking directly into the camera lens in shock, and when a crew member called her name, the only word her brain produced was “Namaste.” She has no explanation for it.

The Invite stars Wilde and Rogen as a married couple whose relationship is upended when they are propositioned by a glamorous pair — played by Cruz and Edward Norton. The film is now in theaters from A24.