“This is The End” stands out as an unusual comedy film, partially due to the on-screen animosity between two of its actors, which results in comedic brilliance. Surprisingly, the reason for its success might have been obvious all along.
Over the past decade, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel have collaborated on numerous projects, but it turns out they haven’t always agreed.
According to Baruchel, the tension between them has never been directly addressed.
Interestingly, this underlying animosity translated effectively on screen, contributing to some of the film’s most peculiar moments, which include apocalyptic scenarios, cannibals, and even a giant demon.
In a resurfaced 2023 interview on the Daily Beasts podcast, Baruchel revealed that his character’s dislike for Hill was grounded in reality.
He stated: “Jonah and I don’t get along super well, or at least didn’t back then.”
When the host noted that their on-screen animosity was evident, Baruchel responded, “yeah no f****** s***, it does.”
Both actors portrayed exaggerated versions of themselves, which likely made their performances more authentic due to their genuine dislike for each other.
Baruchel elaborated on this unusual situation, saying: “It was this weird thing of mining personal s**t. But not for catharsis… mining it just for comedy.”
“So mining it in the most monetized, capitalist way of, “we’re going to dig up real personal s–t,” but nobody’s going to go home feeling better about it. We’re just going to turn it into a f*****g product.”
They aren’t the only actors who have worked together despite not getting along, yet Baruchel acknowledged that their issues remained unresolved off-screen.
He added: “We never talked about any of the real s**t. Like, it never came up for real. Because we’re both 1982 kids which means we were raised in a great misogynistic tradition of not talking about s**t.”
“Especially two boys … we’ll air grievances. When we’re mad at each other and say that, but it’s very rare to be vulnerable.”
If this isn’t reason enough to watch the 2013 comedy, it also features other celebrities portraying exaggerated versions of themselves, including Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson.