This scene was decided by Murphy along with Seth Rogen and James Franco. Generally speaking, a director of Murphy's caliber making a cameo in a film would play a minor, non-character role rather than a villain, and certainly not self-demeaning. However, Murphy was different. He knew his reputation outside of films wasn't great and didn't mind playing a villain in this parody film.
As the saying from across the Pacific goes, "When you're full and warm, you think of lust…" This scene was designed to showcase that aspect.
"What do you want with Emma Watson?" Seth Rogen, adjusting his glasses, asked, "She's upstairs sleeping."
Murphy's gaze immediately fixed on the upstairs, staring intently like a ravenous wolf. He growled, "I need a woman, a beautiful woman!"
Seth Rogen discreetly blocked Murphy's path to the stairs.
"You…" James Franco stammered, "What do you want to do?"
"I need a beautiful woman." Murphy didn't mind self-deprecation at all. "Don't you know? I can't go a day without a beautiful woman! I want to rape Emma Watson!"
Robert Downey Jr. looked shocked, "What?"
"Don't you all want to?" Murphy's gaze swept over each of their faces. "How long has it been since you touched a woman? Emma Watson came to us willingly, are you just going to let her go?"
Seth Rogen was the first to object. "That's against the law!"
Murphy retorted loudly, "It's the end of the world out there! The whole world is destroyed, who cares about the law?"
Aside from Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, and Robert Downey Jr. didn't show any reaction.
"We can't do this!" Seth Rogen still blocked Murphy, "Emma is our friend!"
"She's not part of the Stanton Gang!" Murphy took a step forward. "Emma Watson might be the most beautiful woman left in the world!"
He turned to James Franco and the others, "Can you bear to see such a beautiful woman get eaten by monsters outside instead of enjoying her?"
The group fell silent. After a while, Jonah Hill said seriously, "I agree with Murphy, letting Emma Watson get eaten by monsters is too wasteful."
James Franco nodded lightly, coming up with a good idea. "I have a basement here. We can imprison Emma Watson there, give her a little water and food, and whoever needs her can go to her…"
"We can't be without women!" Robert Downey Jr. also stood up. "Murphy is right. Emma Watson might be the most beautiful woman left in the world, we can't let her go!"
"But she's our friend."
Seth Rogen's stance softened, "Isn't this a bit too much?"
"Bang!" The upstairs door was kicked open from the inside, and Emma Watson, holding a knife, stormed out. She stood at the top of the stairs, pointing the knife at Murphy and the others below. "You bastards!"
"Emma! Emma!" Robert Downey Jr. raised his hands and shouted, "Listen to me, you're misunderstanding, we were joking!"
Seth Rogen also said, "Emma, we're not what you think, we're good guys!"
"We're not good guys!" Murphy snarled, rushing to the front. "We're all bad guys, bad guys who rape beautiful women like you!"
Murphy moved as if to charge at her, but Emma Watson suddenly threw away the knife and pulled out a gun from behind her.
"That's my gun!" James Franco shouted.
"Now it's mine!" Emma Watson indicated with the gun. "Step aside, all of you."
Under the threat of the gun, Murphy and the others stepped aside, watching Emma Watson go downstairs and climb out through the hole in the wall.
Once Emma Watson disappeared through the hole, the cinematographer's voice rang out on set, "Cut! That's a wrap!"
Hearing the director call a cut, Murphy breathed a sigh of relief. Shooting such long takes was no easy feat, even when playing himself.
The crew took a break, and Emma Watson circled around from the other side.
"Hello, everyone!" she waved as she walked over, joking, "You guys really don't mind self-deprecation."
Seth Rogen, being the most familiar with her, laughed and said, "We're not you, we don't need to maintain an image."
The group chatted briefly, and it was clear Emma Watson was trying to get closer to the Stanton Gang.
However, this was Emma Watson's best scene in the film. After she disappeared from here, she wouldn't reappear, and the film didn't specify her fate. This was agreed upon before shooting: Emma Watson, playing herself, wouldn't have her image damaged in the film.
For actresses like her, maintaining a positive image was crucial.
This applied to all public figures who presented themselves with a positive image.
A prime example was the former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who was the epitome of style, maturity, and ambition in public. She was one of the most photographed women of the 20th century and played a significant role in enhancing President Kennedy's charm.
She always presented the most appropriate and fitting side to the public.
The media also loved to report on this aspect.
As for her romantic getaways with brother-in-law Robert Kennedy after JFK's death, her flings with Marlon Brando, her ousting of opera diva Maria Callas, and her second marriage to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, these were never openly displayed to the public.
In many ways, Jacqueline Kennedy resembled a Hollywood star.
Similarly, Emma Watson was known within Hollywood circles for changing boyfriends almost as quickly as Taylor Swift, though she didn't use it for publicity.
Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and James Franco had questionable reputations from the start, surrounded by constant controversy. They didn't mind it as much.
After a day's shooting, Murphy didn't leave immediately. Instead, he and Seth Rogen stepped out of the set to be interviewed by reporters, promoting the Stanton Gang's film.
Murphy never spared any effort when it came to promoting his invested films.
The set had a dedicated press room. Under the public relations team's guidance, Murphy and Seth Rogen answered several questions.
"This film has a lot of jokes, some shallow, some complex. We've done targeted surveys with many viewers, and if the audience didn't laugh, we wouldn't use that joke," Seth Rogen, the film's director, answered first.
He added, "I didn't want to showcase too many dull jokes or my own thoughts in this movie. My approach was to let the audience tell us what's funny and what isn't. Also, we didn't want to make fun of the audience."
The crew indeed followed this method. Compared to other Stanton Gang members, Seth Rogen was more straightforward. "Before filming, we discussed a lot of gags. Although many were heavy-tasting, they were all tested by the audience. The sci-fi elements in the film are just regular jokes. We showed these gags to many viewers, observed their reactions, and then decided how to use them. This film was shot in this manner."
After Seth Rogen answered, the reporters naturally turned to Murphy, asking mainly about his acting experience.
"I always wanted to play myself in a film, but the scripts they wrote were different—I was always in a pitiable situation. Actually, everyone in this film is like that."
Murphy explained while gesturing, "The night before shooting, I was always anxious, but seeing the other actors struggling on set made me feel better and focus on my role."
Pointing to Seth Rogen, he continued, "What we went through was similar. This film is insanely crazy, the craziest and purest comedy I've ever seen. We all had to showcase different aspects of our personalities, which was already crazy enough. Meanwhile, we had to make jokes as per Rogen's requirements."
Finally, Murphy spoke about his character, "My actions in the film differ from my habits, even though I'm playing myself. This sounds crazy, but this film is just that crazy. We might have a bit of self-awareness, but in this film, it doesn't exist. Everything serves the jokes and the story."
With so many stars involved, the film naturally garnered attention. After Murphy and Seth Rogen's interviews, the media buzzed with reports, giving *This Is the End* considerable early publicity.
Controversy generates buzz, a simple truth.
Therefore, Murphy and 20th Century Fox were also preparing to create buzz for *Chaos City*.
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