Jay Baruchel doesn’t shy away from admitting that Jonah Hill is a talented actor while also acknowledging his personal dislike for him.
The tension between Baruchel and Hill seemingly reached its peak during the filming of the 2013 disaster comedy, “This Is The End.” The film, known for its star-studded cast including Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Emma Watson, depicts exaggerated versions of themselves trying to survive the apocalypse.
In the movie, Baruchel’s character desperately tries to convince the group, who genuinely believe Hill is a good person, that he can’t stand him. Rogen defends Hill, claiming he’s “the nicest guy in the world” and assures Baruchel that Hill likes him a lot. As the comedy unfolds, it becomes evident that Baruchel’s character was right all along, as Hill prays for Baruchel’s demise, injures him with a knife, and callously pushes him into a sinkhole. This onscreen portrayal appeared to mirror real-life dynamics.
When asked about his relationship with Hill in a 2017 interview with Larry King, Baruchel stated, “There is one, I guess. I know the man. I wouldn’t say that [I don’t like him]… It was contentious once upon a time, but I think now we’re sort of each the devil the other one knows.”
In a recent episode of “The Last Laugh” podcast, Baruchel delved deeper into their strained relationship, affirming, “I was… real crabby throughout that whole movie… Jonah and I don’t get along super well, or at least didn’t back then.”
When it was pointed out that their dynamic was palpable onscreen, the Canadian actor responded, “Yeah, no f**king sh*t, it does! And also, it was this weird thing of mining personal sh*t. But not for catharsis, just for comedy. In the most commoditized, capitalist way of, like, we’re going to dig up real personal sh*t, but nobody’s going to go home feeling better about it. We’re just going to turn it into a f**king product.”
Hill recently faced criticism from his ex-girlfriend Sarah Brady, who accused him of “emotional abuse,” and from “Zoey 101” actor Alexa Nikolas, who accused him of “predatory behavior.” Hill’s attorney denied the latter claim as a “complete fabrication.”
Baruchel revealed that he couldn’t confide in Rogen, who directed the film, because both of them were “raised in the great misogynistic tradition of not talking about sh*t.” However, he had previously mentioned in an interview with Insider that “there is love there” and that he wouldn’t reject a reunion with Hill.
On the podcast, Baruchel expressed how exhausting and unpleasant it was to act opposite Hill and receive his relentless compliments onscreen. Ironically, he initially believed that the film’s “wanky inside baseball bullshit” wouldn’t resonate with audiences until he watched it himself.
He recalled, “I was like, ‘Holy f*ck, this is funny as f*ck. And Jonah is very good in it.’ That’s when I knew it was a good movie; when I was laughing at Jonah’s sh*t that I never once found funny on set. And then, in the movie, I actually found myself laughing.”
