FILM · 2008 · USA
Pineapple Express
35 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (35)
- #001
Seth Rogen originally wrote the role of Saul Silver for himself to play. It was not until a table read that he realized James Franco would be funnier as Saul.
- #002
Seth Rogen rolled every joint and cross-joint in the film himself.
- #003
The fight scene between Saul (James Franco) and Carol (Rosie Perez) was mostly improvised. Because of this, Franco was worried he would hurt Perez and asked her permission to do certain things during the fight. In the end, Perez was indeed injured and bruised after Franco accidentally bit her hip too hard, but she did not tell him until filming was finished so that he would not feel bad.
- #004
While shooting the scene in which Saul crashes into a tree, James Franco was overeager and actually ran into the tree, which required three stitches.
- #005
Rosie Perez convinced director David Gordon Green to cut most of her dialogue, saying it would make her character's twisted side more effective and ultimately more mysterious.
- #006
Bryan Cranston read for the role of Ted Jones; however, Judd Apatow felt Cranston was not "evil" or "scary" enough to convincingly portray a drug dealer. Ironically, Cranston later rose to prominence as Walter White, the high school teacher who becomes a methamphetamine dealer, in Breaking Bad (2008).
- #007
It was the first marijuana-themed comedy to gross over $100 million worldwide.
- #008
When James Franco smashed the hookah over Danny McBride's head, it was supposed to be a fake hookah so that McBride could stay in the show. However, it was partly filled with water, and McBride was slightly injured when Franco broke it.
- #009
Saul's grandmother was not part of the original script. James Franco came up with the role and suggested that it would be funny for the drug dealer character to have a Bubbe.
- #010
Seth Rogen told the April 25 issue of Rolling Stone that the producers initially wanted a $50 million budget but were only able to raise $25 million because of the drug-heavy subject matter.
- #011
Seth Rogen appeared on The Howard Stern Show (1990) on August 11, 2008, and told Howard Stern that he wrote the script in 2001. However, because he was still relatively new, the script could not be greenlit on the strength of his performances in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Knocked Up (2007).
- #012
Seth Rogen had to do yoga to be more flexible in the physical scenes in this film.
- #013
The red Slurpee spilled on the police car's windshield was darkened in the trailer after it became clear that audiences mistook it for blood.
- #014
The word "fuck" and its derivatives are said one hundred and eighty times.
- #015
Judd Apatow told USA Today that James Franco read Homer's ancient epic "The Iliad" during breaks on the film's set.
- #016
In a July 2008 interview with the Orange County Register about this film, the interviewer told Seth Rogen and James Franco that he had prepared for the interview by watching the classic stoner comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) the night before. When he asked Rogen and Franco whether they had prepared the same way before making this film, Franco said he had prepared by making out with Spicoli (a reference to his and Sean Penn's roles as lovers in Milk (2008)).
- #017
"The Asians" depicted in the film are South Korean.
- #018
Saul's grandmother, or Bubbe, has a different surname from him: Belogus, and at one point in the film she tells Dale this. Seth Rogen's mother's maiden name is Belogus.
- #019
Co-producer and co-writer Judd Apatow says the inspiration for Pineapple Express came from watching Brad Pitt's drugged-out character Floyd in True Romance (1993). Kevin Corrigan appears in both films.
- #020
In the scene just before Dale tearfully calls Angie (1:12:15), a woman in a red shirt and jeans walks past him. The extra was Seth Rogen's real-life wife, Lauren Miller.
- #021
The high school is the same one seen in the film Jawbreaker (1999).
- #022
Budlofsky's constant desire to go home to his wife was actually Kevin Corrigan's motivation for playing the character, since he wanted to get back to his wife and child.
- #023
The film was sent to some theaters under the title "Easy Job."
- #024
The photo of the Asian hitman killed by Ted (Gary Cole) is of stuntman Simon Rhee.
- #025
Dale's ringtone is "Dr Greenthumb" by Cypress Hill.
- #026
In Stalag 17 (1953), the name of the mouse that wins the race is "Snicklefritz."
- #027
Author's trademark: Clark County.
- #028
After their failed raid on the abandoned barn, Saul is taken to the staircase leading to the basement and asked whether there is a rancor down there. This is a reference to Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), in which Luke Skywalker is dropped through a hidden trapdoor in Jabba's palace into the rancor pit to be devoured by the giant pit-dwelling creature, the rancor.
- #029
Although James Franco's character (Saul) is a drug dealer and heavy marijuana user, Franco himself does not smoke marijuana.
- #030
The place where Saul and Dale are held hostage is the same underground location seen at the start of the film. At the back of the room you can see the water suit people used to test the effects of marijuana.
- #031
Olivia Thirlby was cast as Angie Anderson, but after rehearsals she was replaced by Amber Heard.
- #032
Pineapple Express became the unofficial name of the unofficial operation to evacuate Afghan soldiers and their families from Kabul airport when the Taliban took over in 2021. Seth Rogen's name was even adopted as a password for evacuees to pass through security.
- #033
In the opening scene you see the private (Bill Hader) being interrogated by someone in a hazmat suit. Later, when Dale and Saul are tied up, you see the same suit.
- #034
When Seth Rogen gives James Franco his jacket in the forest, Seth's T-shirt is visible under his shirt. It reads "Tomato Face" and the number 54.
- #035
The odd moment when Angie hands Dale her shorts while looking for lip balm was improvised by Amber Heard. Director David Gordon Green liked the joke enough to keep it in all subsequent takes and in the finished film.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb kaydı
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work