Anne Hathaway quit Knocked Up over birth scene, Rogen says
Anne Hathaway quit Knocked Up before filming over Judd Apatow's plan to show graphic childbirth footage, Seth Rogen said on The A24 Podcast. Hathaway objected to visually depicting the baby "crowning" and felt the scene was not her brand, even though the footage would not have been hers. Katherine Heigl replaced her in the 2007 comedy.
The casting swap resurfaced as Rogen promoted The Invite alongside director and co-star Olivia Wilde. Wilde, who auditioned for the female lead years ago, asked whether Hollywood lore about the birth scene was true. Rogen said Hathaway left after rehearsals had already begun on the Universal comedy.
Key Takeaways
- Seth Rogen told The A24 Podcast that Anne Hathaway quit Knocked Up over the planned "crowning" childbirth footage.
- Hathaway felt the graphic scene was not her brand, though Apatow planned to use real footage of another woman's delivery.
- Olivia Wilde auditioned for Alison but lost the role to Katherine Heigl after Hathaway exited.
- Knocked Up grossed $219 million worldwide on a $25 million budget and became a defining Apatow hit.
- Rogen praised Hathaway's instincts, saying she has been right about more career calls than he has over the years.
Why Did Anne Hathaway Quit 'Knocked Up'?
Rogen recalled that Hathaway objected to visually representing the moment a baby's head emerges during childbirth. On the podcast, Wilde asked, "Because of the crowning right? Is that real?" Rogen replied that "crowning is a tough one" and that Hathaway did not want it depicted on screen.
"She felt that it was not her brand," Rogen said. He noted rehearsals had started and allowed that other factors may have played a role, but he takes her stated reason "at face value, which was the crowning."
What Did Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde Reveal on The A24 Podcast?
The conversation unfolded during promotion for A24's The Invite, starring Rogen and Wilde. Wilde revealed she auditioned for Knocked Up and joked about finding and destroying the tape. Rogen reassured her the audition was fine before revealing Hathaway had originally held the lead.
Rogen said Apatow used footage of another woman for the birth sequence that appears in the film's climax. He quipped that even Daniel Day-Lewis would not perform that level of realism. Rogen added that Hathaway "had a sense, and she knew it was not for her."
Who Replaced Anne Hathaway and How Did the Film Perform?
Katherine Heigl stepped in as Alison Scott, the E! reporter who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with Rogen's Ben Stone. Rogen called Heigl "great" and said she knew the role was right for her.
Knocked Up opened in summer 2007 to critical and commercial success. According to Variety, the comedy grossed $219 million worldwide against a reported $25 million production budget. A semi-sequel, This Is 40, followed in December 2012.
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