Pratik Handore
Stoner movies have developed a niche for themselves over the years, irrespective of how decisive the sub-genre has been. These films are typically about a bunch of friends smoking recreational marijuana and doing off-the-rails dumb stuff that is pretty hilarious. The formula has proven to be a winner at the box office, and 2008’s ‘Pineapple Express‘ is arguably the most shining example of that.
The movie is directed by David Gordon Green and tells the story of a simpleton named Dale and his marijuana dealer. The duo gets caught up in a conflict with a gangster and a corrupt cop after Dale accidentally witnesses a murder. The film stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, whose performances are critical to the film’s popularity. However, did the duo actually go full-method and smoke real weed to deliver their believable performances? We decided to look into the matter, and here’s what we learned!
What Did the Actors Really Smoke in Pineapple Express?
First things first, let us refresh your memory and remind you about what Dale (Rogen) and Saul (Franco) are smoking in the movie. The duo smokes Pineapple Express, which at the time was a fictional strain of marijuana, but thanks to the popularity of the film, it has become a real thing. In the movie, this particular strain of weed unleashes a host of problems for Dale, who merely wants a good hit after a good old day’s work.
There was NO strain of weed called #PineappleExpress when we made the movie. We said “if one day, people are out there selling weed called Pineapple Express, it worked”.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) August 6, 2018
Actually, he wants a hit all the time, but that’s beside the point. Poor Dale witnesses drug lord Ted Jones committing a murder and is forced to flee and leaves behind his stash of Pineapple Express. Jones’ henchman is able to trace Dale and Saul because of how rare the strain is, and the rest of the film is utter chaos-filled hysteria. However, despite their on-screen stoned hijinks, Rogen and Franco did not actually smoke weed while filming the movie.
That is understandable as such an act could jeopardize the safety of the actors and the crew members present on set while filming. Rogen has revealed that there were quite a few injuries during the movie’s filming, so imagine if they tried to shoot all the explosion, fight, and car chase scenes with the lead actors completely stoned. Then what is the stuff the actors are seen smoking? The film’s prop master Jeff Butcher has revealed that the actors smoked fake marijuana from a company called International Oddities during filming.
Franco has stated that he does not smoke weed in real life. Meanwhile, Rogen, who also co-wrote the movie alongside Evan Goldberg, has been very vocal about smoking weed, especially while writing. “I smoke a lot of weed when I write, generally speaking. I don’t know if it helps me write. It makes me not mind that I’m writing,” Rogen told MTV. Rogen’s experience with weed came in handy on the sets of ‘Pineapple Express,’ as the actor/writer revealed that he and Goldberg rolled all the cross-shaped joints used for filming.
Read More: Where Was Pineapple Express Filmed?
