In Olivia Wilde’s film on the 2026 movie schedule, The Invite, there’s a lot of hilarious and direct talk about sex. The film sees two couples played by Seth Rogen and Wilde and Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton gather for a dinner party, and quickly the conversation gets intimate. Their actions do too, and while speaking about filming those moments in particular, Rogen shared that he just kept telling Cruz “thank you.”
This story came up after Ike Barinholtz – who is one of the guest hosts filling in for Jimmy Kimmel – asked Rogen if he was “at all worried Javier Bardem is going to kill [him]” while he was filming intimate scenes for The Invite with Penélope Cruz. Here’s what The Studio star had to say about that during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Yes, so you’re very worried about that. But what’s actually funny in the scene is we were encouraged to improvise, and there’s a scene where me and her are kind of having a romantically charged moment, and it seems like we might hook up with one another, and I just kept saying thank you. I just kept going, ‘Thank you.’
As someone who covers steamy shows like Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton, I’ve heard my fair share of stories about how intimate moments are filmed. I can safely say I haven’t heard one like this before. However, manners are always nice, so it’s both hilarious and kind of wholesome that Seth Rogen just kept saying “thank you” to his scene partner as they played out a moment where their characters almost hooked up.
However, it was a bit odd that he just kept reiterating the phrase as he filmed with Cruz, and The Invite’s director, Olivia Wilde, couldn't help but ask him what was up. Recalling how she reacted to Rogen’s constant thanking, the comedic actor said:
I just kept thanking her, and Olivia Wilde, the director, was like, ‘Why?’ Like, ‘Why do you keep – what are you doing? Why do you keep saying thank you?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t [know] – it’s just what’s coming out of my mouth.’ It’s all I have is gratitude for this.
He went on to joke that he would be “apologetic and thankful” in the situation their characters were in, which makes the “thank yous” make sense.
Overall, this story hilariously highlights both what this new A24 movie is about and how funny it is. While it has tense and dramatic moments as these two couples navigate their relationships, as The Invite’s trailer shows, it’s also laugh-out-loud funny. That’s in great part thanks to the comedic genius of Rogen and his co-stars.
So far, The Invite has a great Rotten Tomatoes score of 96% and stellar reviews. And ever since I saw it, I’ve been thinking about the masterful performances given by Rogen, Cruz, Wilde and Norton and the wild story they tell about two couples reckoning with their relationships in mental and physical ways. The movie really is so nuanced, emotional, and funny, and it is very deserving of the praise. Or, I guess I should say, it’s very deserving of a few thank yous.
