Seth Rogen has shared details about making The Invite alongside Penélope Cruz, including one especially awkward moment when the cast was told to “improvise.”
The new comedy comes from A24 and director Olivia Wilde, marking her third feature after Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year before opening in limited release on June 26, 2026, and expanding wider on July 10.
The Invite is an English-language remake of Cesc Gay’s 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs. The story follows musician Joe (Rogen) and his partner Angela (Wilde), who host their upstairs neighbors, Pína (Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), for dinner.
Since its release, the film has drawn strong reviews for its mix of sharp dialogue, relationship drama and escalating awkwardness, with critics praising the chemistry of its four leads and Wilde’s return to directing.
While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Rogen spoke about filming some of the movie’s more intimate moments with Cruz. Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.
Guest host Ike Barinholtz teased that he’d be nervous about Javier Bardem, Cruz’s husband, if he ever had to shoot romantic scenes with her. Rogen agreed that the idea would definitely cross your mind.
But according to Rogen, the more memorable part came during a scene where the actors were allowed to follow their instincts.
“But what’s actually funny is in the scene, we were encouraged to improvise and there’s a scene where me and her are kind of having like a romantically charged moment and it seems like we might like have, you know, hook up with one another and I just kept saying thank you.
“[…] I just kept thanking her and Olivia Wilde, the director, was just like, ‘Why? What are you doing? Why do you keep saying thank you?’
Rogen said his reaction simply reflected how surreal the situation felt.
“It’s just what’s coming out of my mouth. All I have is gratitude for this.”
He added:
“And I would just thank her. I would be apologetic and thankful. I’m sorry, thank you.”
Rogen also made light of Bardem’s potential reaction, joking:
“I don’t think he views me as a legitimate threat.”
Another sequence in the film sees Rogen dancing with Cruz. He explained that while they were improvising, he tried to remove his pants, fell over, and ended up with a shoulder injury that lasted for seven months.
The film has also attracted attention for the way it was made. Rather than heading straight to streaming, the production went for a theatrical release and was shot over 23 days in chronological order.
That approach meant the cast experienced the story’s escalation in the same sequence as the audience eventually sees it, which has helped the movie earn strong reviews and plenty of word of mouth.
You can catch it in theaters now.