How Superbad Changed Christopher Mintz-Plasse Forever
He may be best recognized as the lovably awkward McLovin from 2007's "Superbad," but Christopher Mintz-Plasse has made himself a notable career in Hollywood. Appearances in "Role Models," "Kick-Ass," and "Neighbors," have helped make Mintz-Plasse a recognizable figure in film. Additionally, voice-over work in franchises such as "Trolls" and "How to Train Your Dragon" has also kept him relevant.
Still, despite his many remarkable performances, Mintz-Plasse may never outlive his breakout role in the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg comedy hit "Superbad." The career-making teen film may have starred Jonah Hill and Michael Cera while launching the career of Emma Stone, but the story wouldn't be the same without the scrawny Fogell, aka "McLovin," surviving the craziest night of his young life. The nerdy teenager evolves through the movie from being brutally socially awkward and off-putting to a hero to his entire high school after an evening of debauchery with a fake ID and a pair of fun-loving police officers.
Parallel to his character's arc, Mintz-Plasse's life was significantly changed by "Superbad." The young actor became an icon across the country. Meanwhile, the McLovin performer incurred multiple milestones as a teenager on the set of the big-budget feature. Continue reading to discover how Christopher Mintz-Plasse's life was forever altered by the coming-of-age comedy "Superbad."
Superbad was his first feature film credit
A significant aspect of Christopher Mintz-Plasse's beloved "Superbad" performance is how easily he managed to convince us all that he was still in high school. Some of that was not a performance, as Mintz-Plasse applied for the role while in his senior year. Interestingly, the aspiring thespian's experience was limited to academic performances and improv classes. Regardless, he took a chance on a casting flier at his school and sent in a low-quality headshot taken from a phone camera.
Amazingly, the nerdy-looking Mintz-Plasse was hand-selected by "Superbad" casting director Allison Jones above thousands of would-be McLovins. "You could tell he was a kid who probably had seen the inside of a locker," Jones told the New Yorker. The actor was only 17 during the filming of "Superbad," and 18 when the feature debuted at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 13, 2007. The rest is history. Aside from becoming a teenage sensation as McLovin, Mintz-Plasse's performance earned him a nomination for breakthrough performance at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards.
He was not well received by all of his castmates
Despite making an impression on the casting director, Christopher Mintz-Plasse was not as well received by the full cast of "Superbad." Specifically, Jonah Hill, who portrays Seth — a character inspired by Seth Rogen's teenage years — struggled to get along with his new on-screen counterpart. During Mintz-Plasse's audition alongside Hill and Michael Cera, the nerdy teenager immediately got under the "Accepted" actor's skin. "Jonah f***ing hated him," Rogen said to The Ringer. "He was all over Jonah's lines, completely disrespectful of the process, probably due to a lack of experience."
"[Mintz-Plasse] just immediately shut me down," Hill said. "So combative. I was really annoyed because this guy wouldn't let me say anything. And I told Seth and Evan that and they were like, 'He's perfect.'" Rogen confirmed that the contrast of the young performers was exactly what landed Mintz-Plasse the part. "He walked out of the room and Jonah was like, 'Not that guy.' And we were just like, 'Oh my god, you don't understand how much more that makes us want him.'" Thankfully, the pair were able to get past the negative first impressions and build a professional relationship. "We talked, we're both really nice guys, and we hit it off," said Mintz-Plasse to the LA Times.
A character only Christopher Mintz-Plasse could perform
Apart from proving himself as an ideal thorn in Jonah Hill's side, Christopher Mintz-Plasse became the uncontested McLovin performer for another poignant reason — he was the only one who could pull it off. The movie "Superbad" is heavily based on real-life events that happened to writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg while they were teenagers. As such, the majority of players in the film are representations of real people the pair grew up with. "There is a real Fogell, and when he was around 13 or 14 he acted exactly like the character in the movie," Rogen told E! News.
Unfortunately, with the specific character traits of being a geek with a sharp tongue, the character proved difficult to cast. "We really had a hard time casting it. We thought it was unactable," said Rogen. "That's how hard it was. We started thinking, we wrote a character that no one in the world can perform properly, and we were literally just gonna change it. We were like, 'We have to completely rewrite it.'" Fortunately, Mintz-Plasse seemed to naturally fall into the part with the look and the right amount of edge that they were looking for. "Thank God, we found him! He's such a little treat."
Christopher Mintz-Plasse's mother made filming awkward
The characters of "Superbad" seemingly enjoy free reign with limited adult supervision. Particularly, Christopher Mintz-Plasse's Fogell spends his night of getting up to no good without checking in with his parents at all. Unfortunately for the underage actor, his parents were much more stringent about the rules. The 17-year-old was required legally to be accompanied by a guardian during his work on the film, resulting in some extremely uncomfortable situations.
During the movie's climactic house party, Mintz-Plasse's character manages to speak to his crush, which results in McLovin losing his virginity. However, the actor couldn't enjoy the moment to its fullest, as his mother had to monitor the whole ordeal. "It was real awkward," Mintz-Plasse told The Guardian in 2009. "Afterwards we didn't talk about it; we still don't speak about that moment. Now, I'm 19 so my mom doesn't have to be in the room when I have sex, thank God." Thankfully, despite the uneasy situation, the actor's mother saw the value of an acting career and could see his talents. "She was like, 'Okay, you can do more movies and not go to college, for now,'" he revealed to the LA Times. "But they've always loved that I was acting because I loved it. And it was really helpful."
He had some other firsts while filming Superbad
The first time being on a big-budget movie set would be enough of a milestone for most 17-year-olds. However, Christopher Mintz-Plasse got far more out of his time filming "Superbad" than he bargained for. The actor literally got to pull the trigger on another major first in his life when he learned how to shoot a gun.
Throughout the film, Fogell references his dream of one day handling a gun. After mentioning the prospect multiple times to his new police buddies, the character inevitably shoots off a firearm while destroying the cop cruiser at the end of the movie. Interestingly, Mintz-Plasse shared his character's desire to shoot a dangerous weapon. "I remember it was the first time I ever shot a gun," the actor told Vanity Fair. In anticipation of filming the scene, the teenager was first trained to handle live ammo at a secure facility. "It was insane. Shooting pistols," he said. "But then you're at the shooting range, so it's like, 'Let's get some bigger guns.'"
He became super-famous overnight
When "Superbad" premiered in the summer of 2007, it instantly launched to the number one spot in the box office, earning $33 million in its opening weekend. Undoubtedly, the film was a resounding success and one of the audience's favorite inclusions has always been Christopher Mintz-Plasse's memorable performance as Fogell. Famed movie critic Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars at the time, while noting that he was "McLovin' it!"
For Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the transition happened extremely fast. One moment he was a standard high school senior, the next he was in the biggest movie in the country. "It was very tough to be a nobody one minute and then, literally, two days after the movie came out, it was me getting recognized everywhere," the actor said to Page Six. "It was zero to 100 very fast and I was barely out of high school. When it was happening, I think I was young and dumb enough to go along with the ride, but looking back at it now, it was very intense." During an interview with Jon Foss, Mintz-Plasse recalled how he was chased out of a restaurant by a flock of McLovin fans the day after the film premiered. "I probably thought I was The Beatles back then. It was life-changing, for sure."
Superbad catapulted his career
Launched to movie star status overnight, Christopher Mintz-Plasse quickly began landing roles in a range of projects. Notably, he followed his "Superbad" premiere with a starring role opposite Paul Rudd in the 2008 comedy "Role Models." By 2010, the McLovin actor secured parts in two of his biggest franchises, first as the hero-turned-villain Red Mist in "Kick-Ass," followed by his supporting voice-acting role in "How to Train Your Dragon."
Although he may no longer be top-billed in his films, Mintz-Plasse continues to develop an impressive filmography. He has elevated his voice acting work with franchises like "Trolls" and a television project started alongside long-time friend and celebrated puppeteer Ben Bayouth, "Blark and Son." Additionally, Mintz-Plasse continues to appear in live-action comedies like "Pitch Perfect," "Neighbors," and "The Disaster Artist." Regardless of his impressive resume, the once-dweeby-looking teenager still runs the risk of being typecast. "I've been pitched a lot of stuff where I'm the nerdy virgin who doesn't get laid until the last scene by a big-breasted blonde," he told AV Club. "I stay away from that."
Superbad helped Christopher Mintz-Plasse find another passion
Interestingly, Christopher Mintz-Plasse's breakthrough role in "Superbad" not only kickstarted his acting career, but it also inadvertently helped him discover another passion — music. It was thanks to his part in the successful feature that a young Mintz-Plasse had money to blow. "'Superbad' was my first movie, and then, because of the first paycheck I got, I bought a drumkit," the actor told Stereogum. "So they kind of coincided with each other."
The McLovin actor became quite proficient at beating the drums, joining the band Young Rapscallions before transitioning himself to the bass guitar in his current band Bear on Fire. Additionally, Mintz-Plasse has recently performed bass backing up celebrated indie songwriter Ben Kweller. Fans need not worry; the actor loves making music, but he has no intention of leaving his day job. "I would love to keep balancing the two," he said. "I think I'm very lucky and grateful for where I am right now, that I can do both. Acting, you can work for three months and not work for six months. So in that time, I love the momentum of music."
He made lifelong connections with his Superbad castmates
With the fame (and infamy) of "Superbad," Christopher Mintz-Plasse and the rest of the cast have forever found themselves reminiscing about the project. Additionally, Mintz-Plasse has worked with his castmates in multiple movies since "Superbad" in 2007.
In 2009, the McLovin performer reunited with Michael Cera in the caveman comedy "Year One." Later, he found himself sharing the screen with Jonah Hill in the animated film collection "How to Train Your Dragon." Most notably, the trio that made "Superbad" the coming-of-age hit were brought together once more for a cameo appearance in "This is the End." On the topic of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg films, it is Mintz-Plasse's connection to the comedy duo that has given the actor plenty of work, including his roles in "Neighbors" and "The Disaster Artist."
Most interestingly, Mintz-Plasse got the chance to reminisce about his first feature film alongside many of his old friends in 2020. As part of a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, McLovin was joined by Cera, Hill, Rogen, Goldberg, as well as Bill Hader, Emma Stone, Martha MacIsaac, and Judd Apatow for a "Superbad" watch party shared virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has an idea to expand the franchise
When a comedy is as beloved and successful as "Superbad" it becomes inevitable that audiences start talking about a potential sequel. Unfortunately, the cast and crew behind the hit have mixed feelings about creating a "Superbad 2." Leading the opposition to expanding the franchise is Seth Rogen, who remains adamant that it will never happen. "I think of all the movies we've ever made, 'Superbad' is the one I'd 100% probably never touch," he told LADbible. "I'm so terrified of subtracting from it in any way with a bad sequel or spin-off that I'd never do it."
Regardless of Rogen's protests, others are interested in making a "Superbad" sequel a reality. Star Jonah Hill is on board for a follow-up according to his W Magazine interview, although he wants to wait until he and his co-stars are at least 80 years old before filming. Producer Judd Apatow admitted on the "Inside of You" podcast that he has shopped a college version of "Superbad." Meanwhile, Michael Cera expressed that he would love to do another movie with the same cast and crew, but would not want it to be a sequel (via Esquire). However, Mintz-Plasse has his own unique take on bringing back the coming-of-age comedy. "If there was a way to do it, [an all-female version] would be the way, for sure," he told 98.1 WOGL (via IndieWire).
McLovin became a cultural icon
The fake Hawaiin identification card with one name, "McLovin," is arguably the most memorable part of a movie that's loaded with clever jokes and situations. To this day, McLovin remains a joke for those who watched the movie when it came out and new audiences discovering the film today. Novelty versions of the piece of plastic featuring Christopher Mintz-Plasse's face are still sold in gift shops around the country. Meanwhile, the actor has become synonymous with the beloved nerd.
From the first day the movie premiered, Mintz-Plasse has been recognized by nearly everyone as McLovin. The actor doesn't take it personally and has even used it to his advantage. He believes the popularity of his on-screen persona has helped him in other endeavors, including his music career. "There's more ears. Maybe they'll be like, 'Oh, this actor's in this band, I'll give it a listen,'" he told Stereogum. Additionally, the tag has helped him become recognizable to other stars, like when he appeared on the reality show "Stars on Mars," and co-inhabitant Marshawn Lynch instantly connected him to McLovin.
The character still follows him around to this day
Unfortunately, being commonly recognized as a character he played during his teenage years hasn't always been easy for Christopher Mintz-Plasse, especially back when he was still attempting to understand himself and his career. "There was a really good four-year period where I had that screamed at me everywhere I went," the actor told Vanity Fair. "It was pretty draining. Especially as a 20-year-old, who is trying to figure out who the f*** I am. My brain is still developing and trying to figure out my career path."
Hilariously, when Mintz-Plasse shared his Vanity Fair interview on social media, he offered a hilarious commentary: "Superbad released 15 years ago today. My life has never been the same can [you] stop screaming McLovin at me?" Truthfully, constant recognition no longer bothers the actor who has grown to accept his fate. Still, some of his castmates are impressed that the iconic joke has gone on so far. "I wondered, 'Is Chris Mintz-Plasse going to be called McLovin for the rest of his life?' I still wonder that," Emma Stone said in the same Vanity Fair chat. Meanwhile, Bill Hader regrets not having a more memorable part in the film. He told a story about his daughter's friend wearing a McLovin t-shirt, "And he doesn't recognize me at all."