Seth Rogen revealed why James Franco sports a headband in cult classic Pineapple Express – and it’s not just a fashion statement.

It’s been 16 years since the action-comedy film was released, and it was an instant box-office hit, while living on in the memory of its adorning fans.

The plot follows Dale (Rogen) and his drug dealer Saul (Franco), who run away from a ruthless drug lord, hitmen and a dirty police officer and run into several shenanigans along the way.

An easy watch and a good laugh, there’s no wonder that the film has continued to have a large following more than 15 years after its release.

What’s even better is writer and actor Seth Rogen shared a few unknown facts and behind-the-scenes details on the title’s 10 year anniversary.

Back in 2018, the comedy legend marked the occasion by sharing some details about the Pineapple Express.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, he posted a thread of facts and opened up about a number of things to do with the 2008 classic.

One of these things included the inclusion of an adult film star, who had a cameo in the action comedy as she was in a photo in the film as Red’s (Danny McBride) ex-wife who just got out of prison.

“In #PineappleExpress, Red refers to his ex wife having gotten out of jail recently,” he explained. “There’s a pic of Red and his ex wife, who was played by Stormy Daniels.”

There was also a scene where McBride had to stay taped up in a chair ‘all day’ because of how long the shot took to set up.

Rogen lifted the lid on what happened behind the scenes (Columbia Pictures)

However, Rogen then revealed the reason behind Franco’s now iconic headband look throughout the film, and it wasn’t a fashion statement.

He penned: “The reason Saul wears a headband in #PineappleExpress is the result of another injury.

“There’s a shot (that’s in the movie) when we are running through the woods, Franco hits his head on a tree. He actually hit his head on a screw that was holding a pad in place and got stitches.”

As painful as it sounds, you have to applaud the commitment to keep filming with a slight change to the character’s look.

Adding more insult to injury, the 42-year-old added: “Throughout the fight scene in Red’s house in #PineappleExpress, I broke my finger and Danny McBride got his head cracked open when Franco hit him with the bong.”

It might be one of the most painful sounding shoots ever, with no stuntmen taking the hit for the comedians.

Franco didn’t sport the headband for the entire movie, but it became part of the character’s look (Columbia Pictures)

Produce Judd Apatow also took to social media, revealing that Bryan Cranston tried out for a role in the film, but thought that he wasn’t scary enough to be a dealer.

Ironic, right?

It should be noted that Breaking Bad was also released in 2008, so the menacing, chilling character known as Walter White hadn’t graced our screens yet.

Apatow tweeted: “Bryan Cranston auditioned, he may have even read at a table read and I said ‘I don’t think he seems scary enough to seem like a real drug dealer.’ If he did PE [Pineapple Express] maybe the Breaking Bad people would have said, ‘Not him, he always plays drug dealers’.”

It might have been the best thing for all parties, then.

Rogen also revealed that he had to roll all the prop joints on set with his friend and co-writer Evan Goldberg, saying: “In #PineappleExpress, me and my co-writer Evan had to roll all the cross joints needed to film (about 100) ourselves because nobody else on the crew could roll them properly.”

Stephen Graham has revealed he once ‘frightened’ his acting hero Al Pacino after launching himself at him during filming.

The Scouse star appeared in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, where he was filming alongside Hollywood heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro – an experience he’s previously admitted ‘blew his mind’, due to how much he looked up to the star.

During an appearance on Soccer AM earlier this year, Graham said: “As a kid, my dad took me to the video shop, and we watched these three films, and from that moment on, I had posters of these people on my walls.

“So for me, a kid from a block of flats, to be in a scene with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino just blew my mind, and to be in that film that was directed by Martin Scorsese was a different experience.”

And it seems that the 50-year-old star was able to equally impress Pacino when the duo filmed a scene together in The Irishman.

In the scene, Graham’s character Anthony ‘Tony Pro’ Provenzano is in jail with Pacino’s character, Jimmy Hoffa, when the pair get into a disagreement.

Netflix

Opening up about the scene, Graham told Still Watching Netflix: “I’d already come up with an idea at home when I was reading through. I had a little idea to do something. I didn’t tell Marty, I didn’t Al. I told the cameraman and I asked the props department how many bowls of ice cream they had and they said, ‘loads’.

“And I knew it was going to be the last take, so I knew I had to get this in.

“So, he’s eating the ice cream really slowly and his last little bit, he took his last little mouthful, and he puts his spoon down in the bowl and he just kind of leans back.

Netflix

“As he did that I just leant across and I lashed his ice cream bowl right across the room and I went to jump across the table and I went, ‘You!’

“And he just went, ‘Whoa!’”

As Graham lunged across the table Scorsese shouted the cut, and a shocked – but seemingly impressed – Pacino told the legendary director: “Did you see that, Marty? The kid frightened me. He frightened me.”

He added: “That moment where I did smash his ice cream away, he really got frightened, you know what I mean? And we just kind of carried that into those little spats we had really.”

One of the stars of Kin has given an update on the hopes for a third season.

Everyone is raving about the gritty crime drama, which boasts an almost perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, the future of the show has been in doubt since the company that made it, Bron Studios, went under last year.

And while Kin was originally broadcast on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) in Ireland, it was only recently acquired by the BBC, with the second season, as luck would have it, landing today (13 February).

RTE

Created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly, it stars the likes of Game of Thrones‘ Aidan Gillen and Ciarán Hinds, and follows the fictional Dublin crime family the Kinsellas, who are increasingly at odds with a powerful drug cartel.

All hell breaks loose when the hotheaded son of Frank Kinsella (Gillen) gets into a violent confrontation with one of Eamon’s (Hinds) men, as the Cunninghams retaliate.

The impressive cast also includes Clare Dunne, Sam Keeley, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Charlie Cox and Emmett J. Scanlan (Fool Me Once).

Reacquaint yourselves with the series with this teaser for season two:

Now, ever since season one of Kin dropped on the Beeb last year, viewers have been complaining that season two – which aired on RTÉ in 2023 – wasn’t available in the UK.

Another question on fans’ lips has been whether we’ll ever get to see a third instalment.

Well, Emmett J. Scanlan, who stars as Jimmy Kinsella, tells LADbible that season three is ‘very much alive’.

“I know that we had the production company and the production company fell apart and stuff like that,” he says.

“So it’s there for anybody to take, you know.

BBC

“I’d love it to be bought by somebody, the BBC, Netflix, anybody really, I’d just love to continue to tell the story and to finish it.

“So unfortunately, I don’t have any, any solid views by that – that’s not to say that the thing is, it’s very much alive. And it’s very much in people’s consciousness and the more people that say, the more people that like it.

“And like I said, Britain have really, really embraced it, and that can only be a good thing. And that can only be a positive when we’re talking about people possibility for season three, because I always speak for myself, I’m sure I speak for those as well that we’d love to get back on set and continue to tell this story, because we’re quite proud of it to be honest.”

BBC

The 45-year-old, also known for his roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Tower, says he loved his part in Kin.

“The two years that I spent playing Jimmy Kinsella, the two years that I spent going toe to toe with Coxy and Gillen, and just these really, really, really top actors, has been a real trip for me,” he adds.

“You never do a show thinking it’s going to be s**t, you know, and sometimes you do shows and they and they turn out to not be great.

“And you’re the worst thing in them. But this was the antithesis of that.”

Kin season two is available to watch on BBC now.

Sylvester Stallone fought back tears as he made an emotional tribute to his late Rocky co-star.

It was announced yesterday that Carl Weathers had died at the age of 76.

The former NFL player was well known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky film franchise.

As tributes from celebrities poured in for the star, Stallone shared a video to his Instagram. Watch here:

Clearly emotional over the loss of his friend, he captioned the post: “We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching.”

Stood behind a home bar, he said: “Hello everyone. Today is an incredibly sad day for me. I mean, I’m so torn up I can’t even tell you. I’m just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success.

“Everything about it, I give him incredible credit and kudos because when he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness but I didn’t realise how great.”

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Holding back tears, he continued: “It’s…it’s a horrible loss and I’m standing here in front of this painting because it was probably the last moment we were ever in the ring together and I’ll never forget it.

“He was magic and I was so fortunate to be a part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching.”

Weathers had more than 75 film and TV credits throughout his career, spanning over five decades.

The actor appeared in the likes of Predator, Toy Story 4, Happy Gilmore, and The Mandalorian, which was his most recent role.

He also directed a number of episodes of the Star Wars series, where his performance as Greef Karga earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Announcing the news of his death, Weathers’ family released a statement which said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024.

“Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognised worldwide and across generations.

“He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.