“Seth’s Reaction To It Was Very Genuine”: Zac Efron Reveals The Unscripted Joke That

Zac Efron has revealed the unscripted joke that annoyed Seth Rogen in the duo’s 2014 comedy Neighbors, explaining how the actor’s response to it was genuine. The film focuses on new parents Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) moving to a new neighborhood, only for the party-loving Delta Psi Beta fraternity to move in next door, led by Teddy Sanders (Efron). The movie has plenty of memorable jokes throughout, helping the suburban satire film achieve critical success during its initial time in theaters.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Efron revealed the one particular, improvised joke in Neighbors that actually annoyed Rogen, giving him a genuine reaction when it happens in the movie.

Starting at 2:12, Efron explains how, during a bit about throwing a Robert De Niro party, the frat goes “whoo-ah,” something associated with Al Pacino. The improvised chant ended up annoying Rogen in real life, making his reaction to it all the more genuine. Check out what Efron had to say below:

Seth [Rogen] and Rose [Byrne] doing what they do so well, which was just naturally reacting to this ridiculousness outside the window. The “whoo-ah, whoo-ah” like that’s not even De Niro, that’s Pacino. And I don’t remember who did it first, but someone did it and we all just started copying it. [Laughs] And Seth’s reaction to it was very genuine. It was like, “That’s not even, you guys, that’s not even an impression.” And we just kept doing it to make him upset ’cause it was making him mad and it stayed in. But that’s one of the most fun movies I’ve ever filmed. So grateful for that and that experience.

Why Neighbors Is Such A Memorable Comedy

The feud focused on in Neighbors makes Efron’s improvised joke all the more fitting for the movie, which sees Mac and Teddy butting heads after the former calls the cops on one of their parties. What follows is a hilarious rivalry that continues to escalate as the movie climbs toward its ending. The film remains one of Rogen’s most successful movies, being the highest-grossing live-action movie he’s ever starred in. This success is helped by the chemistry between its leads, which forms plenty of funny jokes that go well-remembered long after the movie is done.

The film’s financial success at the box office helped spawn a sequel, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, which saw the pair reprise their roles from the previous movie. It too ended up being a success, even though it didn’t perform as well in theaters as the first. However, the memorable nature of the original’s tight storyline mixed with absurd humor showed movies like it can be major hits, all thanks to the jokes its stars tell. This is also why the Pacino impression is such a funny part, given new context knowing Rogen was actually annoyed by it on set.

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Given how memorable the movie still is 10 years later, it wouldn’t be surprising if a revitalized sequel to Neighbors was made in the future. While a comedy short about zombies titled Neighbors 3: Zombies Rising was produced in 2016, a proper sequel could also be in order now that enough time has passed. If another movie in the franchise were to be produced, then it could include more improvised jokes that lead to genuine reactions from the actors, helping make the comedic elements just as good as the original.

Source: Vanity Fair

Neighbors

Neighbors is a 2014 comedy starring Seth Rogen and Rose Bryne as a couple who unknowingly move into a home next to a frat house with their newborn baby. After failing to come to a compromise with the fraternity leader, Zac Efron, the new parents and the fraternity engage in an all-out war.

Director

Nicholas Stoller

Release Date

May 9, 2014

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Writers

Brendan O’Brien , Andrew J. Cohen

Runtime

97minutes

Budget

$18 million

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