A Character Based on Seth Rogen Got Jonah Hill Banned by Sony from Using PlayStation
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- Sony banned Jonah Hill from touching a PlayStation during the filming of Superbad because of his character’s “vile” nature.
- The problematic character was based on Seth Rogen, who wrote Superbad in tandem with Evan Goldberg.
- Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg produced a 2020 documentary, Сonsole Wars, about the 1990s standoff between Nintendo and Sega.
Sony once banned Jonah Hill from touching a PlayStation console or any other company’s products according to Seth Rogen’s story he shared at the South by Southwest festival.
During the production of Superbad (2007), Sony reportedly banned Jonah Hill from touching a PlayStation console due to concerns about his character’s behavior, according to Seth Rogen. The studio, which co-financed the film, was allegedly so wary of Hill’s portrayal of Seth that they refused to let him interact with Sony products.
“They were like, ‘It’s too vile a character,’” recounted Seth Rogen, noting the fact that Jonah Hill’s role in the movie was based on Rogen himself, who was one of the film’s writers along with Evan Goldberg.
The scene in question, from Superbad, shows Michael Cera’s character playing the PlayStation 2 game The Getaway: Black Monday. Despite the odd restriction, Rogen and his team accommodated Sony’s request.
For Rogen, this isn’t the first time gaming has intersected with his career. He’s been involved in several projects tied to the gaming world, most recently voicing Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Also, it is worth noting that Rogen and his Superbad writing partner Evan Goldberg once sought to turn the story of Sega vs. Nintendo into a drama series before ultimately transforming it into a documentary, Console Wars, which aired in 2020. The film about the 1990s console wars between Nintendo and Sega in the 16-bit era and the rise and fall of Sega in the home console market was directed by Jonah Tulis and Blake J. Harris.
