Seth Rogen admits he couldn't stop thanking Penélope Cruz during intimate 'The Invite' scene

Seth Rogen has revealed that filming an intimate scene with Penélope Cruz in The Invite left him feeling so awkward that he instinctively kept thanking—and apologising to—the Oscar-winning actress throughout the take.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actor recalled that director Olivia Wilde encouraged the cast to improvise during one of the film's romantically charged scenes between his character, Joe, and Cruz's Piña.

"There's a scene where me and her are having a romantically charged moment, and it seems like we might hook up with one another, and I just kept saying, 'Thank you,'" Rogen said.

The repeated expressions of gratitude quickly caught Wilde's attention.

"Olivia Wilde, the director, was just like, 'Why? 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,'" he said.

Rogen explained that his reaction reflected exactly how he imagined he would behave in real life.

"All I have is gratitude. I would be apologetic and thankful. I'm sorry."

The Superbad star, who has been married to Lauren Miller since 2011, also joked that he felt extra pressure because Cruz is married to fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem.

"So, you're very worried about that," Rogen quipped, before adding with a laugh, "I don't think he views me as a legitimate threat in any way, shape or form."

Rogen also shared that several moments in The Invite came together through improvisation. One memorable idea came from Cruz herself, who suggested singing Sade during a romantic scene.

"It was Penélope Cruz's idea," he said. "There's a scene where we're being romantic, and she was like, 'What if I start singing Sade to you?' which is sort of sexy, but also kind of hilarious at the same time."

His own improvised contribution proved considerably more painful.

Rogen suggested it would be funny if Joe struggled to remove his trousers and fell over during the scene. The gag made the final cut, but the actor revealed it came at a cost.

"I did it. Everyone's like, 'That was great.' And then I hurt my shoulder for seven months," he joked.

The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde, stars Wilde and Rogen as married couple Angela and Joe, whose relationship is thrown into turmoil after their wealthy neighbours, Piña (Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), invite them into an unconventional evening that challenges their views on love, marriage and intimacy.

Wilde recently revealed another improvised moment from the film, recalling that Cruz unexpectedly kissed her during a scene, leaving the director so stunned that she accidentally looked straight into the camera before blurting out, "Cut. Namaste!"