State of mind is an invisible yet real thing. After resting for an hour, Murphy, though not a skilled actor, managed to adjust his mindset. In the subsequent shoots, he surprisingly nailed his scenes in one take, much to the amazement of Seth Rogen and Gal Gadot.
As more guest actors arrived and left the set—given that each was busy and couldn't afford to spend too much time on a cameo—Carla Faith soon departed, but Murphy and Gal Gadot stayed. After all, this was a full-fledged Stanton Gang movie.
Murphy merely observed from the sidelines, refraining from interfering with Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill's direction.
With the guest actors gradually leaving, Seth Rogen shifted focus to shooting scenes with the main cast. Murphy knew that unlike the improvised scenes with guest actors, the main actors' scenes followed a set script.
Before filming this movie, Murphy, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and James Franco had discussed numerous gags. Although many were quite risqué, these gags had been tested and proven effective.
As for the film's horror and sci-fi elements, they were really just part of the comedic material.
During the gag testing, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill gathered many ordinary fans to gauge their reactions, refining the material based on this feedback. The film's goal was clear: to be funny.
Building on this foundation, the apocalyptic concept added a grand backdrop, making it a "big movie."
The shoot was filled with a lively atmosphere. For instance, Murphy witnessed Rihanna slap Jonah Hill—not a staged slap, but a real one.
"I don't know what Jonah was thinking," James Franco, standing beside Murphy and Gal Gadot, commented. "He set up a scene where he gropes Rihanna's butt in several takes, and Rihanna slaps him each time. Jonah actually did grope her."
Murphy glanced at Rihanna, sighing inwardly, "It's not just Seth Rogen who's got a heavy taste."
James Franco made a squeezing gesture with his hand and continued, "Not only did Jonah grope, but he did it hard enough to anger Rihanna. During a shoot two days ago, she gave him a real slap."
Gal Gadot looked at Jonah Hill and Rihanna laughing together on set and said, "They don't seem to be on bad terms."
"They aren't," James Franco shrugged. "Their minds operate on a different wavelength than ours. They agreed that for each butt grope, Rihanna gets to slap him."
James Franco then humorously recounted the backstory.
Initially, Jonah Hill didn't want to grab Rihanna's butt, but the fake groping looked too fake on camera—timing, force, and angle were all off. For the sake of the film, Jonah decided to actually grab her butt. He later struck a deal with Rihanna: he could really grope her, but in return, she would slap him for real.
In this respect, Jonah Hill was quite dedicated to the film.
Lily Collins, having finished her scenes, walked over, and she and Gal Gadot began whispering, leaving Murphy and James Franco alone.
The shoot resumed. James Franco leaned in, lowering his voice, "I've got a secret for you: on Monday night, Jonah and Seth had a threesome with Rihanna."
"Together?" Murphy caught the key detail immediately.
"Yes, together!" James Franco confirmed. "Seth told me himself. He and Jonah were invited to Rihanna's hotel room, and then..."
Franco made a suggestive gesture, mimicking a piston motion with his finger.
Murphy glanced at Rihanna, unsurprised. Though he hadn't interacted with her much, he knew she was known for her boldness and was one of Hollywood's famous "collectors," not sparing any interest, be it actors, singers, or athletes.
The movie told a comedic story of a group of "buddies" stuck together during the "end of the world," blending sci-fi and reality. To achieve the comedic effect, Seth Rogen used every trick in the book.
The next day, filming moved to a set at Hughes Aircraft's studio, using green screens and constructed scenes, where Murphy met more actors.
"Murphy, this is Emma Watson," Bill Ross introduced his two important clients to each other in the set's lounge. "Emma, this is Murphy."
Murphy extended his hand, "Hello, Miss Watson, nice to meet you."
"Emma..." Emma Watson quickly shook his hand. "Just call me Emma."
Murphy smiled, "You can call me Murphy."
Perhaps due to her British background, Emma Watson was quite the lady. "I never thought I'd get to act opposite such a great director."
"I didn't expect it either," Murphy said politely. "I didn't think I'd get to act with the famous Hermione Granger."
Hearing Murphy refer to her as Hermione Granger, Emma Watson's smile froze slightly before returning to normal.
"The *Harry Potter* series is over," she said, brushing her cropped brown hair subtly. "I can be Emma Watson again."
Murphy understood her point and didn't mind. No actor wants to be typecast, though Emma Watson's transition would be long and arduous.
Murphy then went to the makeup trailer, changed into a dirty costume, and had his hair and makeup done to look disheveled, before returning to the set.
The next scene showed how the Stanton Gang became more villainous because of Emma Watson, with Murphy playing a crucial villain role.
Since Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill would also be acting in the scene, the cinematographer temporarily took over directing.
Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, and James Franco huddled for a quick discussion, rehearsed their positions, and then started filming.
"Take 122, Scene 18 of *This Is the End*, action!"
In a smoky setting, Murphy approached a wall, cautiously glancing back as if fleeing a hellish beast, then quickly crawled through a large hole in the wall.
"Who's there?"
A wary voice called out. In the dim light, Murphy looked up to see the four men led by James Franco, holding various weapons. The most intimidating was Seth Rogen with a giant hammer.
"It's me!" Murphy wiped his dirty face, "Murphy!"
"It's really Murphy!"
Jonah Hill was the first to approach. Murphy, seeing them, relaxed and leaned against the wall. "Finally, I found you guys!"
The others approached too. James Franco helped Murphy up, and Robert Downey Jr. asked, concerned, "What happened?"
Murphy didn't answer, instead eyeing Seth Rogen's large hammer. "Where did you get that hammer?"
"Emma Watson's," Seth replied bluntly. "She came back just now."
He pointed to the hole in the wall. "She made this hole. She's upstairs sleeping."
"Is there water and food?" Murphy asked.
"Cut!" the cinematographer called. "Good take. Move to Set 2 for the next part."
After a brief break, they moved to Set 2 and resumed filming. Murphy and the others sat around a table.
Murphy gulped down water and tore into a bag of wafers, stuffing them into his mouth like a starved man.
Robert Downey Jr. asked, "What happened outside? Where's Gal?"
Murphy swallowed, burped, and said, "The outside world has turned into an apocalyptic wasteland."
James Franco asked urgently, "What exactly happened?"
"I have no idea..." Murphy scratched his head in frustration. "I was driving home, then suddenly there was an earthquake. When I got out, a beam of light from the sky covered Gal, and she flew up. Lots of people were taken up by beams of light..."
"Yeah, I saw that too!" Seth Rogen raised his voice. "When I was at the supermarket, many people were taken up by light beams."
Jonah Hill's eyes widened, "Is it an alien invasion?"
"Could be!" Murphy said seriously. "I saw Carla Faith get eaten by a monster!"
"What kind of monster?" Robert Downey Jr. asked.
"A terrifying one!" Murphy exclaimed.
Finishing the entire bag of wafers and a large cup of water, Murphy burped contentedly and stretched, "Finally full!"
Then he turned to the large hammer in the corner, "Where's Emma Watson?"
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